george winston, classic or dud

"New Age Music", search and destroy.

played my 5 yr old summer to settle him tonight.

(its original title & cover)

"Autumn" is (perhaps surprisingly) a very good album and I think that people who are usually wary of new age music should check it out. It's one of the most affecting albums I have, and it really does transport you (as mentioned by Amateurist). Sure you might call it 'new age', but I would never compare it to Yanni or any of the soaring heavy synth bullshit that gets cranked out these days.

Rarely have I heard an album that encapusaltes its title as well as this one.

came to ILM to post... a thread that i already posted, six years ago. should really rediscover this stuff.

I really liked Autumn and December as a middle/high schooler and played a chunk of it by ear on the piano. It's hard to argue with people who trash him -- it's cheesy and evocative of a fake, beautiful, nice world that doesn't really exist. But that's kind of the point. He's also quite technically proficient underneath the simple arrangements.

That said, even as a 13-year-old it was obvious Summer was on the schmaltzy side.

I never cared for his new-age schmaltz either, but there was one lovely album he made in 1982, December, that was strangely free of all the crap that ruined his other records & overall reputation. It's played throughout with an uncharacteristic delicate elegance. Or maybe I'm just a corny fuck for still loving tracks from it like this 30 years after first hearing it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEiR1ULD-2A

got a soft spot for this guy

winston was quite admiring of fahey's music. fahey usually had nothing but derision for winston's, but every once and a while a tone of respect would poke through.

This bums me out. Are there examples of Fahey's derision of Winston's music out there?

i don't know - this interview w/ winston doesn't make it seem like fahey hated him
http://www.furious.com/perfect/fahey/fahey-winston.html
"he was a great friend and changed my live more than any other person ever has."
i mean, fahey probably said shitty things about everyone he ever crossed paths with, but it seems like him and winston were at least friendly with each other.

Well, that's good. He just seems like such a good, unassuming dude, I would hate for him to have to deal with unrequited respect from such a giant figure, both in music and his life. But I guess that's life sometimes.

I realize I'm projecting a ton into this situation. But, you know, it's my weekly "Tuesday morning think about George Winston's feelings" time so...

Dude can throw down on harmonica...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6NYEuID414

^ classic

kicking myself for having skipped seeing him on his last tour

RIP : (

updated link from my 2019 post

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE_fALxx4Gk

Story:

https://variety.com/2023/music/news/george-winston-dead-solo-piano-instrumental-music-1235635327/

Mr Veg put on Winter Into Spring while we ate dinner & it is so lovely

damn, rip. obviously had a huge impact on how i perceive music. december was a staple in my childhood years and i later came to love ballads and blues and especially winter into spring. i definitely consider him an innovator.

On Facebook, Nels Cline with the good word:

GEORGE WINSTON: Rest in peace, brother 🙏🏻….
George and I met in maybe 1979 or 1980 when I was working at Rhino Records (the record store) and he was a regular customer. Back then he was a runner/driver for Larry Flynt (yes, that Larry Flynt), picking up film from the various photo shoots, driving Mr Flynt’s guard dogs around and who knows what else, in his charred-red VW Bug. He often came in after work on Friday nights, and over time we not only bonded over various recordings (he was almost obsessed with any/every recording of an instrumental soloist, Christmas records, Vince Guaraldi…) but I came to learn that he was the same guy with a record on Takoma called “Piano Solos”, which I had a sizable quantity of in backstock as a “cut-out” (discontinued record). I sold them to him at cost so he could have a stash handy. It turned out that he lived right off of Olympic Blvd in West Los Angeles, very close to where I lived and also near the area where I grew up, in a big old funky house with a woman roommate named Ronni. The “insane” landlord had reconfigured the door to the bathroom so one could only get to it from outside in the back yard (!!). George was a terrific ragtime and slide guitarist, and he & I would improvise on acoustic guitars occasionally, he playing in open tunings. Eventually, he famously met Windham Hill Records guitarist and chief William Ackerman, something I had a lot to do with but which I will not go into here. But after an elaborate, year-long prank George pulled on me to extract my honest opinion of his second solo piano record, the now ultra-famous “Autumn”, George became - unexpectedly and almost unbelievably - a smash hit. Prior to this, George played rarely, mostly at the KPFK Christmas fair and accompanying dance classes in Santa Monica on guitar (he bought my old Polytone amp to do these). When “Autumn” was ready for release, he drove that fried-looking VW Bug out to Camarillo to Record Technology Inc. (RTI - still there and still doing excellent vinyl pressings) and loaded the little car with boxes of “Autumn”. In the ensuing year, he knew the names of practically everyone who worked at RTI. Like me, he never expected “Autumn” to sell much. But as he started playing concerts in small places like McCabe’s Guitar Shop, momentum built and built and, after maybe another year, George became a cause celèbre. Eventually, we only communicated by phone. I would routinely be invited to his ever-larger shows, but I stopped going because George would tell me that A) I would not see him because he always left immediately after these shows to avoid the rush of aftershow well-wishers and industry weasels, and B) “it’s the same show you’ve heard before”. And I never saw George again. His massive success and cult-figure status ultimately engendered some sort of deep depression. He became a hermit. But just a few years ago I got email from him out of the proverbial blue and we started some very truncated exchanges, almost always initiated by his sending me ‘live’ recordings of some solo performer we both love, usually Ralph Towner. It was through George that I had met and befriended John Fahey. From our very first encounters it was readily apparent that he venerated Professor Longhair, James Booker, all manner of Hawaiian slack-key guitar, Bola Sete, and he often profoundly assisted the families of these artists and championed them until his dying day.
I did not know that George was battling cancer. Of course he never mentioned it, nor anything personal for that matter. The news of his death has me stunned and profoundly sad. So I just want to put out there that George Winston loved the music that he loved with unyielding passion and commitment. Yes, he was “eccentric”, and yes, he could be pretty annoying - mostly in the way certain “hippie Boomer” guys can be annoying. And regardless of what I or anyone might think of his music, of being labeled “New Age” (George was not New Age), I really loved him and missed him all these many years. The man’s heart was huge and warm in an all-too-often cold world.
Rest in peace, brother 🙏🏻❤️

mostly in the way certain “hippie Boomer” guys can be annoying

lol. I love Nels. That's a great story, I knew nothing at all about George Winston's background.

A friend of mine was once hired to play a gig for a bunch of teamsters. He and his bandmates showed up, and the hulking point-person came up to the keyboard player, and very loudly asked him "do you know any George Winston!?" The giant guy went on to reveal that he used to deal with a lot of rage issues, but had been introduced to George Winston during mandatory therapy sessions and had become a big fan.

omg that is awesome

Wow that Nels Cline remembrance is all time. Can we be shown pictures of Nels, George and Larry Flynt hangin?

RIP – https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2023/06/08/george-winston-piano-new-age-dies/

a guy who used to work for Takoma posted on Facebook and also mentioned Winston delivering porn

Amazing. Can you repost?

sorry, I got mixed up - it was actually Peter Lang:

Peter Lang

I just heard about the passing of George Winston. I remember George back in my Tacoma days when I was the go to Guy. When he first came to Tacoma, he was delivering X-rated magazines and newspapers. I and other members of the Tacoma crew, had many a fine time with George. George was a quiet, and kind person. Every time he had a show in Minneapolis, he would put me on the guest list.
I last saw him at John Fahey’s funeral wake, where he played a set. IHe left a lot of beautiful music, and I am saddened by the fact that he has now joined the angel band. If there is music in heaven, I believe George will make a wonderful contribution
Vaya con Dios me amigo, may you rest in peace.

from Takoma Records general manager Jon Monday:

Old friend George Winston died on Sunday after a decade of battling cancer. I first met him at the Paul Mason Winery where John Fahey was headlining. Sometimes I traveled with Fahey to do local promotion and marketing. George had sent a demo tape to tiny Takoma Recors, where I was general manager. Fahey decided to sign him to a multi-record deal, but Takoma didn't have the right channels to do justice to Winston's music. That first album didn't sell at all - perhaps on 500 copies. We didn't pick up the option for a second album, but Winston found the right home at Windham Hill Records, where he went multi-platinum.
After Chrysalis Records sold Takoma Records, they tossed out a bunch of unreleased tapes, which I dug out of the dumpster. In those tapes were recordings by Bola Sete. George came to my home in the Venice Canals and went through the pallet of tapes I had salvaged, which George later released, boosting Sete's career.
In 2006, I produced a John Fahey tribute album that was released on the revived Takoma Records, now owned by Fantasy Records, George contributed a harp version of Sally Goodin - it's really worth a listen. One reviewer said, "a relentless, barrage of percussive blowing that whips up a dark vortex of drones and overtones, dragging the listener down to a tiny point of non-existence. It really must be heard to be believed."
The last time I saw George was a couple of years ago - he invited me to a concert he was giving at the La Paloma Theater in Encinitas Beach. His record label people kept a list of friends of George and would send out invites when he was in the area. We met after the concert, and I gave him my copy of his original Takoma contract for his archive. See below.
He was a gentle and generous spirit, with a unique sound that resonated with millions of people. I later heard that he would donated the proceeds from his concerts to local food banks, especially Feeding American. Please consider making a donation in his name.
Here is the Rolling Stone Obit - I'm happy he is so highly recognized and appreciated.
George Winston, the Quiet Giant of Solo Piano Music, Dead at 73
The musician, who sold over 15 million records during his career, had been battling cancer for 10 years
June 6, 2023
George Winston performing in 2019. Jason Davis/Getty Images
George Winston, the celebrated solo pianist who sold more than 15 million albums over the course of his career, died Sunday, June 4. He was 73.
Winston’s death was confirmed on his website. He had been battling cancer for 10 years, undergoing a bone marrow transplant in 2013.
Winston rose to prominence in the early Eighties with a trio of records, Autumn, Winter Into Spring, and December, all of which were certified platinum in the United States (December even went three times platinum). His music seemed to incorporate elements of classical, jazz, folk, ambient, and New Age music, but as Winston put it in a Q&A for his website, he always called his “melodic style” of play “Folk Piano” or “Rural Folk Piano.”
“It is melodic and not complicated in its approach, like folk guitar picking and folk songs, and has a rural sensibility,” he said, adding: “Any other labels, including anything having to do with anything philosophical, or spiritual, or any beliefs, are also not accurate, as I have no interest in those subjects. I just play the songs the best I can, inspired by the seasons and the topographies and regions, and, occasionally, by sociological elements, and try to improve as a player over time.”
After those three blockbuster albums, Winston partnered with actress Meryl Streep for a special LP, The Velveteen Rabbit, where his piano was accompanied by the actress’ recitation of Margery Williams classic children’s story of the same name. In 1988, Winston provided music for This Is America, Charlie Brown, an eight-part miniseries about American history featuring Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts characters. And in 1994, he won the Grammy for Best New Age album for his LP, Forest.
Throughout his career, Winston found ways to push the boundaries of his playing. While two albums featuring the music of original Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi may have been a smart, straightforward choice for a star of solo piano, Winston also released a full album tribute to the Doors, Night Divides the Day, in 2002. His 2004 album, Montana: A Love Story, included interpretations of songs by Frank Zappa and Sam Cooke; 2019’s Restless Wind featured takes on George Gershwin and Stephen Stills tunes.
Winston frequently used his music to promote charitable causes, too, releasing albums that benefited cancer research, the preservation of the Louisiana Wetlands, and the victims of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. On top of all his solo piano work, he released albums of solo harmonica and acoustic guitar, and ran his own label, Dancing Cat Records, where he released a trove of albums by Hawaiian slack-key guitarists.
Winston continued to write and record even as his health deteriorated, releasing what would be his final album, Night, in May 2022. As always, Winston’s versatility and myriad influences were on display, as he interpreted songs by Allen Toussaint, Leonard Cohen, and Laura Nyro.
Just as his success was singular, Winston’s influence flourished in a wholly unique way. As Rolling Stone reported a few years ago, solo piano music has enjoyed a quiet boom in the streaming era, with people seeking out soothing instrumental music for a variety of reasons. As one pianist, Matthew Mayer, put it, “I kind of look at [Winston] as the godfather of all of this.”
Another pianist, David Nevue, added: “He was the first to be popular enough to where his music got into the culture to where a 17-year-old kid would hear it and be inspired. It was peaceful, it was meditative, all melody-driven — these were songs with verses and choruses and bridges; they weren’t these great, epic sonatas. I can’t play Rachmaninoff, no way, never will happen. But George Winston, I can play like that.”