I was saddened yesterday to learn (via my friend Wayne Bethanis) that pianist-composer George Winston has died. Every solo performer of original music - not just pianists but guitarists and everyone else - owes him a debt of gratitude, for he was one of the few who blazed the trail of modern instrumental music, starting with his album Autumn in 1980. Although his music was often called "new age", he preferred the evocative term "rural folk piano". Many streams came together in his music: folk, blues, jazz, classical, rock, gospel, rhythm and blues, Hawaiian, and more. Yet he fused them into a seamless whole that was uniquely his own.
George Winston truly lived music as a way of life. Long ago I saw him perform at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City; in his flannel shirt and blue jeans and woolen socks, he was not dressed like a typical performer, but his utmost dedication to the music was evident from the first note to the last.
In my youth, I spent many, many hours listening to his albums Autumn, Winter Into Spring, and December, which were a significant influence on my own attempts at composing music for solo guitar; if I ever get around to recording these pieces, it will be in part to pay homage to the incomparable artistry of George Winston.
(Cross-posted at philosopher.coach.)
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