George Winston - Forest (1994/2020)

When modern jazzman Keith Jarrett began ringing up unprecedented sales figures with his live solo piano recitals for Manfred Eicher's ECM label (most notably THE KOLN CONCERTS), other pianists and record companies began to take notice. But no one struck quite the same nerve with the record buying public as pianist George Winston, whose invocational recitals AUTUMN, WINTER INTO SPRING, DECEMBER and SUMMER put the Windham hill label on the map and epitomized the new age approach for countless listeners. From the rhythmic cycles of ;Tamarack Pines; (Winston cites composer Steve Reich as a major influence), to the elegant ragtime airs of William Bolcolm on ;Graceful Ghost, ; FOREST shows George Winston to be more than a one-trick pony. The pianist also gathers up some charming, little-known movie themes and traditional pieces (such as the lovely ;Japanese Music Box; and ;Mon Enfant;), plus originals like ;Night Sky &; and ;Forbidden Forest, ; which are rendered with exceptional delicacy and attention to dynamics. FOREST won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best New Age Album.