By Paul T. Mueller
George Winston at the Dosey Doe
When you go to a George Winston concert, you get not only a musical performance but a history lesson as well. So it went at the Dosey Doe in The Woodlands, Texas, on Feb. 21, as Winston sat down at the grand piano and introduced his opening tune, “In the Night” by renowned New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair.
His next piece, “Rain,” from Winston’s 1982 album Winter Into Spring, featured a section inspired by American minimalist composer Steve Reich. And that was followed by a short medley of tunes by jazz pianist and composer Vince Guaraldi, from his soundtrack to the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
George Winston may be best known as one of the leading figures of New Age music in the ‘80s, when albums such as Autumn, December and Winter into Spring graced many a turntable and CD player. These days he prefers to call his music “rural folk piano,” and his playing reflects influences beyond the precise and pretty tone poems that first brought him fame. Introducing a stride piano piece called “Elephant and Mouse,” Winston cited jazz pianists Fats Waller and Teddy Wilson; echoes of Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird” could be heard in the lovely ballad “Beverly,” while “Urban Lullabye,” “Blues Minuet” and “Harlem Nocturne” were infused with jazz and blues.
Winston played in his usual concert attire – blue jeans, button-up shirt and stocking feet – and with his characteristic intensity, occasionally reaching into the piano to pluck or dampen a string. He was equally at ease with muscular chords and delicate melodies, and if there was an occasional off note among the thousands, write that off to the passage of time. The audience was more than willing to overlook any imperfections; rapt silence ruled, with some listening with eyes closed, the better to appreciate the virtuoso at work.
In the years since his New Age heyday, Winston has become proficient on guitar and harmonica as well. He closed each of his two sets with a guitar performance – a piece called “Sassy” that he said he learned from Hawaiian slack-key guitar master Leonard Kwan, and a light, folky piece to close the evening. In between, the audience was treated to a sweet and sad harmonica tune called “Lament,” in honor of Cajun accordionist Amédé Ardoin.
Two of the show’s highlights came at the end. Winston drew applause when he announced one of his signature tunes, “Variations on the Kanon by Johann Pachelbel,” and played a fine rendition, faithful to the familiar recorded version but with enough subtle differences to keep things interesting. What he said would be his final piece (but wasn’t quite) turned out to be a dramatic rendition of The Doors’ classic “Riders on the Storm.” The cascade of descending notes at the beginning recalled Ray Manzarek’s electric piano in the original, but from there Winston took off on his own interpretation, pounding out dark chords with his left hand while overlaying them with brighter notes with his right. It would have made for a good ending to the show, but Winston finished with a lighter, happier guitar tune, making for a nice transition to an extended meet-and-greet with fans afterward.
In a sweet bit of post-show lagniappe, those who stayed around were treated to a couple of Scott Joplin ragtime tunes, beautifully played by an audience member who commandeered the piano almost as soon as Winston left the stage. The boy, who appeared to be in his early teens, earned an enthusiastic ovation and soon found himself on the receiving end of lavish praise from George Winston himself, among others.