Winston Pleases Audience

George Winston Thursday, Nov. 6, The Met

George Winston opened his Northwest tour in Spokane to two full houses at The Met on Wednesday and Thursday, and did not disappoint his fans. He gave them clean and intimate renditions of the tunes they have come to love.

Winston, known for his mellow mood music at the piano, relied on what are now his classic hits to appease the relaxation-starved masses. When he launched into “Carol of the Bells,” one of his most popular “Winter” pieces, I heard the exclamation, “I have this one.”

A similar sentiment almost became a roar when Winston announced that he would close the concert with Vince Guaraldi’s “Cast Your Fate To The Wind,” from his latest CD, “Linus & Lucy.” The title tune and a couple of other selections off that hot-selling album also made their way onto the program.

In his traditional socks and jeans, Winston’s presentation was nothing if not relaxed. Watching him lost its appeal after maybe 30 seconds - after all, there was only a bald guy playing the piano with no pretention to airs and flair to be seen - but closing your eyes allowed the imagination to wander far away from The Met and explore the soundscapes that Winston created.

These musical places are created from a uniquely Winstonesque formula. First, the man does not shy away from simplicity. He is not afraid to find a cool harmonic voicing at the piano or a catchy rhythmic figure and explore it for a long time, in some cases the entire tune. Tonality is not a no-no either. Winston’s music approaches minimalism, with the home key being hit so heavily that chord changes really jump out at you.

It occurred to me that a strong sense of tonality is really in his fiber when listening to the two other instruments he played on the concert. Winston performed a medley of Irish dances on the harmonica, and also played a couple of traditional Hawaiian selections, including a lullaby for the encore, on the Hawaiian slack-key guitar.

Both of these instruments are limited to playing in one key - the harmonica by how it is built, and the guitar by its tuning. This limitation allows Winston to do on these instruments exactly what he is known for on the piano: Establish a strong tonal center and improvise and noodle over the ostinato anchor.

Winston performs according to the seasons, so this was his Winter show, including “The Great Pumpkin Waltz,” “Thanksgiving” and the aforementioned “Carol of the Bells.” With that as the unifying element, Winston also gave himself a framework for the entire program.

He strayed the farthest with a stride piano showpiece called “The Dog and the Cat” in which his left hand played the canine part and his right the feline. The two chased each other at a frantic pace, but I don’t believe they ever ran into each other.

A disappointment for the evening which I would lay on the shoulders of the audience was avoidable noise. In spite of the admonition on the front of the program to turn off watches, cell phones and beepers, there was a rash of electronic noise throughout the concert, not to mention somebody slowly unwrapping what must have been the world’s largest piece of cellophane-encased candy. The reverie created by Winston’s style was easily interrupted by such rudeness.