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Northern Lights
(more) »rank: 2106from: Denon Records
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Winter into Spring
(more) »rank: 2402by: George Winston
: essential recording:More like poems for piano than traditional, structured songs, the music of George Winston plays like a lyrical soundtrack to the natural world's rhythms, and nowhere is this more brilliantly enacted than on his third album, Winter into Spring. There are wondrous, beautiful melodies here, but what's amazing is Winston's intense inspiration that spills from his spirit and flows straight to the keys. He uses simple techniques that would hardly impress the most intellectual of music critics but can bring any listener with an artist's heart to tears. Tense and full of motion, his Steinway urgently rolls through songs like aspen ...
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Forest
(more) »rank: 4367by: George Winston
: :Don't let the incessant tinkle-pounding of the opener 'Tamarack Pines' detour you from Forest. It's a lovely CD that meanders like a Montanan stream through the poetry of Winston's signature cinematic style. 'Forbidden Forest' gently muses with an introspective, solitary air, while 'Cloudy This Morning' emulates the varying shades of gray melancholy that come with an overcast sky. These are some of Winston's best moments, when his inspiration sings through his fingers and pierces the listener's soul, forcing an aching response void of language or any conscious behavior. Winston's choice of covers reflects this transcendent, poetic tension well. Unlike the more rural Plains, ...
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Linus & Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi
(more) »rank: 3636by: George Winston
:Album Details:Japanese Release featuring 17 Tracks Including the Exclusive Bonus Track the Red Baron. :While Vince Guaraldi's piano playing and composing have had a big influence on George Winston's work, there is little sense of direct imitation in this affecting tribute to the man who composed the memorable music for the television specials based on cartoonist Charles M. Schultz's Peanuts characters. Winston's solo piano style is fuller and more reflective than Guaraldi's, a hearty blend of powerful chords and subdued rhythms. It seems to embrace Guaraldi's tunes, both the Peanuts songs, like the title tune and 'You're in Love, Charlie Brown,' and Guaraldi's ...
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December
(more) »rank: 4291by: George Winston
: essential recording:December holds the distinction of single-handedly putting Windham Hill on the map and being the new age album most likely to find its way into music collections of all ilk. In spite of being relentlessly overplayed during the holidays, the solo piano recording has aged quite well. Winston shapes holiday war-horses and original compositions into a captivating contemporary statement. His spare, understated style captures the feel of the dark season, employing ample resonance to evoke a reflective spaciousness. The album's straightforward simplicity conveys both the celebration and quietude that characterize the best of the Yuletide spirit. --Richard Price
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Summer
(more) »rank: 3546by: George Winston
: :George Winston has the unique ability to play bright, uplifting, yet stingingly melancholy piano, and Summer is one of the best examples of his fine work around. Somewhere between the ambient-style tone poems of Winter into Spring and the melodious charm of Autumn, Summer dances brightly, evoking images of relaxing under a tree or children playing in a field. Highlights are many and include Winston's 'Lullaby,' full of melody and lyrical tension; 'Hummingbird,' with its whirling repetitive structure, reflecting the vibrant dimension of nature during the summer season; and the fun, rambling 'Corrina, Corrina.' In short, this is another album of what Winston ...
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Windham Hill Christmas II
(more) »rank: 3022by: Various Artists
: :George Winston has the unique ability to play bright, uplifting, yet stingingly melancholy piano, and Summer is one of the best examples of his fine work around. Somewhere between the ambient-style tone poems of Winter into Spring and the melodious charm of Autumn, Summer dances brightly, evoking images of relaxing under a tree or children playing in a field. Highlights are many and include Winston's 'Lullaby,' full of melody and lyrical tension; 'Hummingbird,' with its whirling repetitive structure, reflecting the vibrant dimension of nature during the summer season; and the fun, rambling 'Corrina, Corrina.' In short, this is another album of what Winston ...
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A Winter's Solstice VI
(more) »rank: 2052from: Windham Hill Records
: :George Winston has the unique ability to play bright, uplifting, yet stingingly melancholy piano, and Summer is one of the best examples of his fine work around. Somewhere between the ambient-style tone poems of Winter into Spring and the melodious charm of Autumn, Summer dances brightly, evoking images of relaxing under a tree or children playing in a field. Highlights are many and include Winston's 'Lullaby,' full of melody and lyrical tension; 'Hummingbird,' with its whirling repetitive structure, reflecting the vibrant dimension of nature during the summer season; and the fun, rambling 'Corrina, Corrina.' In short, this is another album of what Winston ...
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Celtic Christmas III
(more) »rank: 1674by: Various Artists
: :Bright pennywhistles, lonesome fiddles, mysterious flutes, strumming guitars, the brushed and pounding bodhran sounding like a horse at gallop over snowy roads, and female voices so clear and focused they might be angels calling out through the ether of time. All these elements combine to shape Celtic Christmas III. Among the more sterling tracks are David Agnew and David Downes's 'Wexford Carol' and the original compositions by Lisa Lynne ('Circle of Joy,' 'Home') and Brian Dunning and Jeff Johnson (the vivid 'A Raven in the Snow'). --Martin Keller
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Christmas Eve
(more) »rank: 3180by: David Lanz
: :Bright pennywhistles, lonesome fiddles, mysterious flutes, strumming guitars, the brushed and pounding bodhran sounding like a horse at gallop over snowy roads, and female voices so clear and focused they might be angels calling out through the ether of time. All these elements combine to shape Celtic Christmas III. Among the more sterling tracks are David Agnew and David Downes's 'Wexford Carol' and the original compositions by Lisa Lynne ('Circle of Joy,' 'Home') and Brian Dunning and Jeff Johnson (the vivid 'A Raven in the Snow'). --Martin Keller
