“Remembering George Winston: The Pianist Who Found Harmony in Nature Passes Away at 74”

Pioneer of Unadorned Melodies, George Winston Dies at 74

George Winston, the pianist and composer, who was known for creating unadorned melodies that sought to evoke seasonal rhythms of nature, passed away on June 4, 2022, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. His music became a signature style of New Age music in the 1980s, with the release of his popular albums such as “Autumn” and “December.”

Mr. Winston was a resident of the San Francisco area and was staying in Williamsport near his tour manager. His death was confirmed by his publicist, Jesse Cutler. The pianist had various forms of cancer and underwent a bone-marrow transplant a decade ago for a blood-related disorder.

Legacy of Harmony with Nature

During his five-decade career, Mr. Winston released more than 15 albums of mainly instrumental compositions that he called “folk piano,” containing elements of jazz and blues that were pared down into looping melodies and tumbling arpeggios. His inspiration remained rooted in the natural world, trying to convey the shifting seasons or moments such as moonlit nights or waves on a beach.

His music was also part of a musical current that gained force in the 1980s. The New Age sound, an ethereal and mood-heavy genre that brought up associations with mediation and spirituality, emerged from the West Coast and moved into wider audiences through musicians such as Greek composer Yanni and Irish singer-songwriter Enya.

Challenging the Critics of his Uncomplicated Approach

However, music critics often found Mr. Winston, and New Age music in general, a choice target. They described his music as having “sleepy tempos and for fashioning arrangements that iron out nearly all harmonic wrinkles.” Despite the criticism, Mr. Winston acknowledged that his uncomplicated approach left him open to criticism. “One person’s punk rock is another person’s singing ‘Om’ or playing harp,” he told the Santa Cruz Sentinel in 1982.

He scoffed, too, at notions that his work was embedded with a spiritual dimension. “I just play the songs the best I can, inspired by the seasons and the topographies and regions … and try to improve as a player over time,” he said.

The Evolution of Rural Sensibility

Mr. Winston’s musical journey of what he called his “rural sensibility” began with music far removed from prairies and woodlands. He had abandoned piano lessons as a teenager and then came across the pulsating organ and keyboard style of the Doors’ Ray Manzarek in 1967. “I had to start playing the organ,” Mr. Winston said. He studied recordings of jazz organists such as Jimmy Smith.

He went back to the piano to dive into the stride and boogie-woogie verve of masters including Fats Waller and Professor Longhair (Roy Byrd). In stride playing, the left hand moves between bass and chords while the right hand plays the improvisation. “My approach is entirely North American, rather than European,” Mr. Winston said, “and I treat the piano as an Afro-American tuned drum.”

Tribute to Winston’s Musical Inspirations

Mr. Winston released his debut album in 1973, “Piano Solos” (re-released in 1981 as “Ballads and Blues”), a collection of folk-inspired pieces with guitarist John Fahey. In 1980, he signed with Windham Hill Records, one of the first labels to build a wide-ranging roster of New Age artists. By the time of his signing, he had developed his style of sparse melodies played in the stride piano tradition. His album “Autumn” (1980) with tracks including “Sea,” “Woods” and “Moon,” became a surprise hit and established Windham Hill as a pillar of New Age music.

Mr. Winston followed with seasonal-themed companion collections, “Winter into Spring” and “December,” both released in 1982. He continued with “Summer” (1991) and 1994’s “Forest,” which won a Grammy Award for the best New Age recording.

His last album, “Night,” was released in 2022 and includes interpretations of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and other pieces by songwriters and singers such as Laura Nyro and pianist Allen Toussaint. The album also showcased his deep interest in Hawaii’s slack-key guitar, a musical tradition he promoted on his Dancing Cat Records label.

Legacy of George Winston’s Harmonic Tones

Mr. Winston’s music will continue to inspire and evoke a sense of peace and harmony with nature. His musical legacy will continue to encompass the seasonal rhythms of nature.

Survivors include his sister.

Source: Adapted from
<< photo by Szabolcs Toth >>