It is no secret that mr. Winston is not happy with the “new age music” tag on his albums, which he tells about in the interview:

He [George Winston] is not laid back. He doesn’t talk about health food. He doesn’t once use the term “cosmic,” make a reference to his shaman, or quote from the poetry of Khalil Gibran.

And boy, does he get fired-up if you ever so much as ask why they called it “New Age Music.”

[...] He’ll go anywhere, alone, musically speaking, without a map. He incorporates jazz, folk, classical and rock into a unified whole that is as adventurous as it is popular. Both “December” and “Winter Into Spring” have gone platinum; fairly unheard of for solo piano albums. In the process, he made Windham Hill, the label that signed him, a name synonymous with that ‘New Age’ stuff. For better and worse.

Winston says the term is “meaningless” and it’s all about “marketing.”

There Mr. Winston is wrong. The term is not meaningless. And how can it be about marketing? New Age Music hasn’t really been hip since the late 1980s…

That said, we totally understand his point of view. And we are big-big fans!!!

So enjoy this fine interview with Mr. Winston, and do check out his webpage here.

Webpage AccessAtlanta.com has an interview with the popular pianist:

Driving a Hertz rental car, George Winston has traveled through many landscapes on his way to Tuesday night’s first performance of Decatur’s Eddie & Agnes concert series at Agnes Scott’s Presser Hall. As a composer and solo piano player strongly influenced by setting and seasons, he finds driving a useful way to travel.

Q: How’s the drive?

A: I’ve always liked driving. I get inspiration from various landscapes and places on Earth, from the different sites and energies and the gradual changing of the topography. Sometimes being taken off the beaten path is good.

Q: We know you don’t want microphones at this show in Decatur. What else can audiences expect from the performance? Will you perform in your socks?

A: Yes, shoes make too much noise on the floor. And I don’t like the sound of a miked piano. I’ll be playing fall and winter songs. Some Vince Guaraldi, folk and melodic piano, New Orleans R&B. I’m sure the drive over will inspire something, too. I have yet to make it to the Great Plains, Tennessee and Alabama. I want [the journey] to affect what I play. We’re all influenced by the seasons whether we think about it or not.

Read the complete interview here

It will be available February 2. But you have to be fast – mr. Winston will only sign 350 posters.  

You can place your order here. (Note: Only available in the US)

In 1996 George Winston recorded a tribute album to jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (1928-1976), a musician beloved by generations for the compositions he recorded for various Charlie Brown television specials and for his standard Cast Your Fate to the Wind. The 1996 album was Linus & Lucy-The Music of Vince Guaraldi, and this year Winston revisits his musical hero a second time.

Many of the songs from Winston’s new album are from the Charlie Brown episodes, and tracks for them written by Guaraldi include “Time For Love” from the episode, There’s No Time For Love Charlie Brown, “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown,” and – of course - ”Love Will Come”. The album also features other Guaraldi compositions from his jazz albums.

If you cannot wait till February 2^nd, you can listen to clips from all songs on Amazon!

To all our readers in California; mr. Winston is currently on tour. See the schedule here.