[Harp-L] George Winston at Fairfield Theatre Co. Stage One, Mar. 4 2010

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I was invited to hear George Winston perform at Stage One in Fairfield, CT on Thursday March 4.  The following is a brief review of that performance.

Harmonica content up front: not everyone knows that Winston is a serious harmonica player, a fan of Sam Hinton and Rick Epping (and a producer of Hinton's recordings), in addition to his better-known work on piano (and Hawaiian slack-key guitar).  Winston played exactly one harmonica piece solo in this performance, and it showed clearly the influence of Hinton, with a drone in the lower register played against melodies an octave or more above.  For my money, Winston's tone in this performance was superior to Hinton's, though Hinton's work is a bit more elaborate in terms of how much is going on in the bass, middle, and upper registers all at once.  In any case, Winston's harmonica playing has clearly advanced since I saw him play several years ago, and it now reflects the same one-man-orchestra sensibility that infuses his piano work. It's always inspiring to hear an artist who won't settle for standing still where his skills are concerned.  I suspect that we'll hear much more harmonica from Winston in future. 

Winston also played two pieces on guitar in the Hawaiian slack-key style, which is based on an open tuning.  These were quiet, intricate, beautiful, and well-rendered.

And then, of course, there was the piano playing.  Winston has a distinctive voice on piano, and his playing in this show was not only personal but often gripping, and sometimes downright amazing.  His signature is his ability to maintain multiple independent lines and textures simultaneously in the bass, middle, and upper registers of the instrument.  His harmonies tend to be simple and diatonic, but the rhythmic and timbral complexity is anything but.  He has a strong grounding in stride and New Orleans piano styles, and his left hand in particular is tremendously strong--in fact, I felt at times that the left hand was overwhelming the right, which might have been due to the acoustics of the room or the characteristics of the piano, or a deliberate choice by Winston.  One of his pieces included an extended passage in which Winston used his forearm to reach in and mute selected strings on the piano, while his other hand played the keys, producing what sounded like a piano soloing over a plucked guitar background.  In several of his pieces, he held the sustain pedal down for minutes at a time, producing an amazing bubble of sound over the piano as harmonics piled up and up.  (That's something you can't do on either harmonica or acoustic guitar, of course.)

The room was small, seating perhaps 100 (with a full house on this night), with good acoustics and excellent sight lines to the stage.  I was able to see Winston's hands reflected in the polished piano lid as he played, which helped to answer my "how did he do that?!?" questions, and was a lot of fun.  Anyone who lives within driving distance of Fairfield CT should put Stage One on their list of preferred venues.  

This was a great show by a powerfully original artist who is in part using his success as a pianist to introduce his audiences to new ways of thinking about the harmonica, and I strongly advise anyone reading this to go hear Winston perform if the opportunity presents itself.   

Final comment: we talk a lot about gear on these forums, me as much (or more) as anyone.  It's always good to be reminded that you can make insanely great music without any electronics at all.  You can tell that Winston spends a LOT of time playing his instruments--not just because he plays them so well, but because he keeps adding new skills to his trick bag.  Here's hoping we can all do the same.

Regards, Richard Hunter
 

author, "Jazz Harp"
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp
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