A couple of weeks ago, I received a 50% off coupon for anything Barnes and Noble carries, either in-store or online. I wasn’t going to use it, until I was browsing for something completely unrelated one day and stumbled on this:
For those of you who stalk/read and don’t know me, once upon a time I was going to be a concert pianist. The piano teacher I had in high school loved George Winston, and even gave me one of his more famous piano pieces (Variations on Pachabel’s Canon–a hip adaptation of a song that usually puts me to sleep) to play for a gig she arranged for me. Winston is from Montana, and he acknowledges being inspired by the different landscapes as he composes music.
When I had those concert-pianist dreams, CDs were just being developed and marketed, so all my George Winston was on cassette. I’ve since lost track of those cassettes, so when I saw the box set on my computer screen, and the 50% off coupon on the kitchen table, I ordered straightaway. The set came today, and as I’m listening to music that I haven’t heard in many, many years, I’m struck again at how much music is tied to memory. George Winston, my high school and early college years, Montana–it’s all a big soup of memories good and bad, memories I haven’t visited in quite some time.
This box set’s arrival is perfectly timed, as I fly to Great Falls on Friday afternoon. You can be sure I’ll have George Winston playing on my iPod as the plane touches down.
“Found” George Winston at school…as a dj for the college stations “jazztime” (don’t laugh). I played the heck out of George….from “Colors/Dance” to “Thanksgiving”, “Dubuque” was my favorite. At the time it opened up the entire world of Wyndham Hill artists…Michael Hedges and William Ackerman. George doesn’t come thru Dallas much; actually seems that he plays more in tiny Wichita Falls TX more so than here. I’ll see him in concert one day.
“Ain’t it funny how a melody can bring back the memories…take you to another place in time….completely change your state of mind”That’s another one that reminds me of MT 😉
Mike–George is coming to Toledo in December, and I’m planning on seeing him then. First time ever, for me!Deanne–CMT the other night had a special on moments in country music, and so many of them reminded me of Montana…good times!