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Ralph Towner, Jazz Innovator, Passes Away at 85

1/22/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Ralph Towner, the guitarist, pianist, and composer, died Sunday in Rome at age 85, with his daughter Celeste Towner confirming the death and the cause undisclosed.
He lived in Italy since the early 1990s and rose in the 1970s for blending jazz, classical, and international music.
Towner recorded more than two dozen albums with ECM Records and co-founded the Oregon ensemble in 1971.

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Story summary

Ralph Towner, the guitarist, pianist, and composer, died Sunday in Rome at age 85, with his daughter Celeste Towner confirming the death and the cause undisclosed.
He lived in Italy since the early 1990s and rose in the 1970s for blending jazz, classical, and international music.
Towner recorded more than two dozen albums with ECM Records and co-founded the Oregon ensemble in 1971.