Bestsellers > Solo Instrumental > Solo Instrumental
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December, Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition»rank: 187by: George Winston
: essential recording:December holds the distinction of single-handedly putting Windham Hill on the map and being the new age album most likely to find its way into music collections of all ilk. ln spite of being relentlessly overplayed during the holidays, the solo piano recording has aged quite well. Winston shapes holiday war-horses and original compositions into a captivating contemporary statement. His spare, understated style captures the feel of the dark season, employing ample resonance to evoke a reflective spaciousness. The ... |
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Italia»rank: 382by: Chris Botti
: essential recording:December holds the distinction of single-handedly putting Windham Hill on the map and being the new age album most likely to find its way into music collections of all ilk. ln spite of being relentlessly overplayed during the holidays, the solo piano recording has aged quite well. Winston shapes holiday war-horses and original compositions into a captivating contemporary statement. His spare, understated style captures the feel of the dark season, employing ample resonance to evoke a reflective spaciousness. The ... |
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Thanksgiving: A Windham Hill Collection»rank: 820by: Various Artists
: :Thanksgiving generally is a pleasant and likeable affair. lts features include a charming, gently propulsive take on the traditional piece 'Allelujah' by Celtic harpist Lisa Lynne; a delicate rendering of 'Amazing Grace' by John Doan on a 20-string harp guitar; and a church-ready version of 'We Gather Together' by a trio of Paul McCandless (oboe), Philip Aaberg (piano), and Michael Manring (bass). A midalbum three-song stretch, though--from the heavy stringing (cello, violin, guitar) of William Coulter and Barry Phillips to R. ... |
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Autumn (Windham Hill 20th Anniversary Edition)»rank: 1071by: George Winston
: essential recording:The precursor to 1982's commercial breakthrough, December, George Winston's 1980 Windham Hill debut boasts all the lyrical power and poignancy of its follow-up. A simple, clear recording for solo piano, Autumn finds Winston developing simple melodic motifs with studied left-hand underpinning, on hypnotic pieces like 'Woods,' which moves from a brisk rhythmic figure to rubato minor-key runs. Leaving pauses and breaths in all the right places, Winston suggests the play of color and light, the comfortable melancholy, and the ... |
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A Winter's Solstice II»rank: 2057by: Various Artists
: :The Winter Solstice series from Windham Hill is an appealing souvenir from the label's early days, when guitarist Will Ackerman still served as its chief guiding light and fount of original thought. For years Ackerman shunned the overt commercial trappings of traditional Christmas recordings and instead offered odes to a broader season that, like his artists' music, is compatible with periods of sustained, hushed contemplation. Winter Solstice ll, released in 1988, mixes original and traditional compositions (none that specifically brings Christmas ... |
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Gently Weeps»rank: 1868by: Jake Shimabukuro
: :You'll forget all the Tiny Tim, Don Ho, and Hawaiian-music jokes about the ukulele when you hear Gently Weeps, which leaves behind the Roaring Twenties strum and plinky-dink sound of most such music. Jake Shimabukuro sets the tone with the lead-off track from which he takes the album's title, George Harrison's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps,' unfolding the vulnerable undertow of Harrison's epic lament. A string of covers follows, as Shimabukuro touches the serene with Schubert's 'Ave Maria,' evokes a Japanese ... |
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A Windham Hill Christmas»rank: 1549by: Various Artists
: :The songs are familiar carols, but A Windham Hill Christmas retains the Windham Hill Winter Solstice series tradition of unusual arrangements and performances that evoke the mood of the season, especially if your take on that mood is a Northeast, snow-covered landscape, like that depicted on the Hallmark card-like cover. The usual bevy of Windham Hill sampler artists are all here, but it's some of the secondary cast that give the most innovative performances. Tracy Silverman & Thea Suits reinvent 'Silent ... |
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Peace»rank: 1813by: Jim Brickman
: :2003 Christmas album featuring a mix of traditional and contemporary holiday songs, with guests such as The Blind Boys 0f Alabama, Anne Cochran, Kristy Starling & Collin Raye. lncludes the bonus track 'Peace (Where The Heart ls)'. BMG. :Peace, Jim Brickman’s second collection of holiday-themed music, is largely a mirror image of his first (The Gift, released in 1997). Both feature a mix of solo piano works, augmented piano selections (involving oboe, strings, synthesizers, a pop-jazz ensemble, or some combination ... |
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Northern Lights»rank: 1538from: Denon Records
: :2003 Christmas album featuring a mix of traditional and contemporary holiday songs, with guests such as The Blind Boys 0f Alabama, Anne Cochran, Kristy Starling & Collin Raye. lncludes the bonus track 'Peace (Where The Heart ls)'. BMG. :Peace, Jim Brickman’s second collection of holiday-themed music, is largely a mirror image of his first (The Gift, released in 1997). Both feature a mix of solo piano works, augmented piano selections (involving oboe, strings, synthesizers, a pop-jazz ensemble, or some combination ... |
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Forest»rank: 2958by: George Winston
: :Don't let the incessant tinkle-pounding of the opener 'Tamarack Pines' detour you from Forest. lt's a lovely CD that meanders like a Montanan stream through the poetry of Winston's signature cinematic style. 'Forbidden Forest' gently muses with an introspective, solitary air, while 'Cloudy This Morning' emulates the varying shades of gray melancholy that come with an overcast sky. These are some of Winston's best moments, when his inspiration sings through his fingers and pierces the listener's soul, forcing an aching response ... |



