Wednesday, Mar 4, 2020 – Voxfire & Ralph Towner 80th

Voxfire Brings Medieval Chants to the 21st Century

In the Echoes Podcast, we get all Medieval on you. Remember when Gothic chant was all the rage in the 1990s? Albums featuring Benedictine Monks and Abbess Hildegard von Bingen hymns were heard in all kinds of configurations by artists, like Sequentia, Richard Souther, Vox and Enigma. A band called Voxfire continues that tradition in the 21st century, taking Medieval chants and turning them into free-floating ambient expanses with beautiful vocals. We talk with the members of Voxfire who infuse their chants with ambient moods, minimalist expanses and even blues harmonica.

Then we celebrate guitarist Ralph Towner’s 80th Birthday. Born on March 1, 1940, Towner hasn’t just been a part of Echoes for 30 years, he and his group Oregon were injected into the original DNA of the show. Tim Hardin, The Paul Winter Consort, ECM records and Oregon are only a few of the situations we’ve heard Towner in as he influenced a few generations of acoustic guitar players.

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