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George Winston
is a name synonymous with New Age piano. Indeed, he
is widely regarded as the forerunner of the genre-
and was the first person to be signed onto the
Windham Hill label back in the early 80s. George
Winston has an extensive musical background, and as
well as playing piano, is equally at home on guitar.
This, however, is a piano CD, and it brings together
some of his most loved recordings from his 25 years
with the label (at the CDs release in the late 90s).
Specifically, it features music from his "Seasons"
albums ("Autumn", "Winter into Spring", "December"
and "Summer" as well as other themed albums-
"Forest", "Ballads and Blues 1972" and "Linus and
Lucy- The Music of Vince Guaraldi". To many
listeners, the music contained within this CD is New
Age piano. Winston, however, categories his piano
music differently: Folk piano, Stride piano and
Rhythm and Blues piano.
The CD opens
with the very lovely "Colours/Dance", taken from the
"Autumn" album. In common with many of the pieces to
be found here, George Winston has taken it upon
himself to self-edit his lengthy works, and the end
product is more accessible and allows the CD to
offer a greater range. Certainly, the edit from over
ten minutes to a little over three might seem a
little drastic, but it seems to work very well. The
piece is lovely and very uplifting. Winston cites
his inspiration as "the blazing yellow maple and
cottonwood trees of Billings and Miles City,
Montana". The album's second track, "The Venice
Dreamer (Part 2)" has a moody opening, before
turning into another fun piece.
A favourite of
mine is the third cut- "Living in the Country" from
the album "Summer". It has a simple, but very
effective melody that you'll be humming for days. It
is extremely playful and brings to mind singing
birds and children playing. This song was originally
a solo guitar instrumental, composed and recorded by
folk singer Pete Seeger around 1956. "The Cradle" on
this CD is a live recording rather then the studio
track as found on the album "Forest". It is a very
gentle piece, and soothing in nature. Winston
describes its source in his notes: "The original
version by Larry Young (Khalid Yasim) was a duet for
organ and drums from his Blue Note label album,
Heaven on Earth. This version is slightly expanded
and changed a bit, as all songs that are played live
continue to grow and change." He dedicates the track
to all mothers!
With a track
title like "Joy", you really would expect the
ensuing music to be positive and hit the "feel-good"
button. It does just that. This is a catchy, happy
piece inspired by J.S. Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's
Desiring". Track 6, "Treat Street" offers a
completely different style, and a wild change in
direction. Very bluesy, "Treat Street" is Winston's
interpretation of a track by Vince Guaraldi- as a
follow-up single to the very successful "Cast Your
Fate to the Wind". This version by Winston is also
influenced by the late New Orleans' pianist James
Booker. Winston also credits Henry Butler as been a
source of inspiration. Pachelbel's Canon seems to
feature on countless New Age piano CDs, but few are
as lovingly played as this one. It is amazing to
think that a piece composed in 1699 is still widely
used in the genre over three hundred years later.
The CD's eighth
track, "Thanksgiving" is an edited version from
Winston's "December" album. He credits his friends
and the surroundings of Miles City, Montana as his
inspiration for this beautiful piece. It has a slow
tempo, and is exceptionally nice to listen to.
"Miles City Train" is frenzied, and is the sort of
piece that his fellow ex-Windham Hill pianist Philip
Aaberg would enjoy playing. It captures the hustle
and bustle of the station and the train. Winston
tells how he was inspired by the train rides he made
to and from Miles City in the 1950s. It is a busy,
busy piece, and one that showcases his considerable
talent. Not one to fall asleep to!
Track ten is "Corrina,
Corrina", a very melodic piece which rolls along
effortlessly. It is from his "Summer" album. In
Winston's linear notes, he states that the song, "is
sometimes played as a lament for a lost lover, but
also sometimes as a love song or a lullaby for a
child, which is the spirit in which it is played
here." I particularly like the flurry of soft notes
just after the two minute mark, which remind me very
much of a lullaby. A lovely piece.
I am also
particularly fond of "Hummingbird" and am intrigued
by the opening and the ending. It sounds like
Winston is plucking something (although, from the
linear notes, it suggests that it is a special piano
technique.) It's a great tune, and Winston reveals
how the "Hummingbird" runs at the end of the piece
are a right-hand technique learned from the great
Stride pianist Thomas "Fats" Waller. It is certainly
different, but very appealing. Track 12,
"Longing/Love" is a heavily edited version of the
Autumn piece, reduced from over nine minutes, to a
little over five. Again, this features an attractive
melody which should appeal to most listeners.
The final
section of the CD begins on a real high, with "Cast
Your Fate to the Wind". This is another of Vince
Guaraldi's, who Winston clearly holds in high
esteem. It was Guaraldi's first single and first hit
way back in 1962. Apparently, it was the "B" side of
the single, but the disc jockeys of the time thought
better, and played it as the "A" side. It's a
wonderful piece and expertly played by Winston. It's
great fun to listen to and, I would imagine, even
more fun to play. "Sandman" is another previously
unreleased bonus track. It's a quiet and quite
lovely piece- one of the gentlest pieces on the
entire album. Yet another favourite is the album's
fifteenth track, "The Snowman's Music Box Dance".
This is from the album "Forest" and is an adaptation
of a piece composed by Howard Blake. It sounds very
much like a children's piece. One can almost
visualise the snowman merrily moving on the Music
Box. Lots of high notes here, and the clarity is
amazing.
Two bonus
tracks bring the CD to a close. The first, "Northern
Plains" is very quiet, and Winston tells how it was
inspired by the plains of Eastern Montana, where he
grew up. Winston cites his friend and fellow
composer Philip Aaberg as a source of inspiration
for this atmospheric piece. The closing track,
"Sleep Baby Mine" is another adaptation- this time
of a piece of music by Alfred S. Burt and Wihla
Hutson, written in 1949. This song is one of fifteen
carols he wrote as a gift for friends. The piece was
apparently inspired by the birth of his daughter. A
jazz trumpeter by trade, I am pleased to report that
Winston's version sounds very relaxing and is solo
piano. A soothing end to a perfect CD.
"All the
Seasons of George Winston" is quite a remarkable
album. I was thrilled with my purchase when I
acquired this CD a number of years ago, and treasure
it dearly. Winston is a prolific composer, and his
latest CD was released in September 2006 ("Gulf
Coast Blues and Impressions"). Fans of piano music
who welcome a variety of styles, expertly played by
a master of his craft, will welcome this CD with
open arms. It is a superb release, and one that most
certainly deserves the distinction of "Piano
Heaven".
S.C. |
