R.I.P. George Winston
The rural folk/New Age instrumental pianist and principal performer on the Windham Hill Records label George Winston passed away on Sunday in Williamsport at the age of 74 of cancer, according to his publicist Jesse Cutler.
Winston lived in Santa Cruz, CA and had dealt with several forms of cancer for years while continuing to create and perform his music which required among other forms of care, a bone marrow transplant a decade ago.
George Winston III was born on Feb. 11, 1949, in Hart, MI to George (a geologist) and Mary (a secretary) Winston, growing in Mississippi, Florida and especially Montana, which triggered an early love for nature that would be reflected in his recordings.
He took piano lessons as a child, soon losing interest but upon hearing The Doors’ debut album with opening track “‘Break On Through (to the Other Side),” his musical re-awakening was quickly in full bloom.
Inspired by that band’s Ray Manzarek, Winston took up the organ, but soon switched to piano after discovering vintage Fats Waller and Teddy Wilson recordings and remained principally self-taught.
His first album, 1972’s “Piano Solos” (aka Ballads and Blues, on Takoma Records), was mostly ignored and after negotiating with producer William Ackerman, found himself on the fledgling Windham Hill Records label, breaking through on 1980’s “Autumn,” a series of seven piano solo tracks all inspired by nature.
Winston continued the calendar theme with two 1982 albums, the holiday-themed “December” (which went more than 3x Platinum) and “Winter Into Spring,” and again with 1991’s “Summer.” In 1994, “Forest,” won a Grammy Award for Best New Age album and he would be nominated four other times.
He broadened his interests, recording for children on 1984’s “The Velveteen Rabbit” (with Meryl Streep as narrator) and returned to his early inspiration on 2002’s “Night Divides the Day: The Music of the Doors”, but perhaps was better known for his interpretations of the music of Vince Guaraldi, the jazz pianist who composed the familiar themes for the animated “Peanuts” television episodes.
In later years, he even did an album of harmonica solos, and formed a label to record a niche genre he admired, Hawaiian slack-key guitar. He would perform and compose minimalist pieces while recovering from cancer, in the medical center’s auditorium, and released a 2014 benefit album which would donate its proceeds to Los Angeles’ City of Hope.
2019’s “Restless Wind” paid tribute to influences Sam Cooke, Stephen Stills, George and Ira Gershwin, Country Joe McDonald, and others, and his 20th studio album “Night” was just released last month, featuring originals and interpretations of Leonard Cohen, Laura Nyro, Alan Toussaint songs, and more. George Winston is survived by his sister.
John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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