All the Chops and All the Baggage

By Tre Martinez
Contributing Writer

Piano virtuoso George Winston will be rolling through the area on Tuesday, delivering an unforgettable musical experience. George Winston could easily be considered an amalgam of everything right with American music.

Equal parts R&B pianist Professor Longhair, psychedelic rock band The Doors, and “Peanuts” composer Vince Guaraldi (the three artists he openly aspires to learn all of the work of), George Winston is a master of both technique and emotion. His show is part classical recital, part tour of American musicology, and all of it a dazzling display of musicianship at its finest.

A Montanan by birth, Winston originally started in music by playing the organ. His switch to piano was facilitated by his discovery of 30s jazz stride-pianist Fats Waller and big band leader Teddy Wilson.

Along the way from there to here, he picked up harmonica and guitar, and together the trio of instruments makes up his arsenal for both his live performances and recordings.

Winston has done cover records of The Doors and Vince Guaraldi, as well as a slough of his own work.

Currently, he is working on a series of albums dedicated to the slack key style of Hawaiian guitar, a predecessor to the more commonly heard steel guitar.

On top of the albums he’s churned out since the 70s, he has done some philanthropic work. In 2001, he released “Remembrance,” the profits of which benefited the families of the 9/11 attack victims. Again in 2006, he released “Gulf Coast Blues and Impressions”  to assist those affected by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

His live show is a tribute to the abstract concept of musical skill itself. In improvising he displays texture, while his more classical techniques evoke the very essence of beauty. And his carefully crafted pieces also exhibit folksy harmonica skills and a gentle mastery of the classical guitar.

All in all, it’s a wonderful experience that will leave you impressed in every sense of the word.

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If You Go

What: George Winston
Where: Fargo Theatre
When: Mon, Sept 20, 7:30pm
Info: 701.239.8385