George Winston - Classical Jazz for Anybody

      Unless you’re a real fan of classical or jazz music, it’s usually something you have to be in the mood for.  But if you enjoy the piano, George Winston is a composer who must be on your radar.  I first heard George Winston’s Linus and Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi when I was 10 or 11 and fell in love with it.  If you grew up watching the Peanuts holiday specials this album will definitely resonate with you.  But as I expanded and listed to some of his other work I was blown away.  His piano playing is part classical, part jazz, and part something completely different.  His album Night Divides the Day: The Music of the Doors covers some of their greatest hits and would make a diehard Doors fan proud.  Each of his solo seasonal albums transport you from a cold wintery mountain to a spring meadow and back to a crisp evening in the fall.  Albums like Forest almost feel as though they are telling a story, with each track propelling you forward to the next.  If you’re someone who traditionally has stayed away from this kind of music I highly recommend giving George Winston a chance.