New Years Eve

"On New Year's Eve, Elder Staley and I sat around and we were listening to this tape of George Winston playing Christmas songs on piano and I don't know if anyone has ever heard the Kanon, but that is the prettiest song I have ever heard. It made our New Year's celebration better. The night was pretty rainy, but rain could never stop the firework-crazy people of Sao Paulo. The funny thing is that the fireworks down here aren't really sparks and pretty colors and lights and that kind of stuff, they are more like bombs. Just one loud explosion and a bunch of people cheering. I made a video on my camera from our 16th story window of all the "bombs" going off over SP. It is pretty cool. Elder Staley and I played Nerf basketball, listened to the Kanon at least 10 times, ate Mac and Cheese and brownies and just kind of passed the New Year staring out the window at the madness of SP New Year's celebrations. It was great. I also made "Elder Tonks' 7 Goals for 2007." They are pretty dope."

George Winston - December

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. In spite of being relentlessly played during the holidays, the solo piano recording has aged quite well. Winston shapes holiday classics 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 album's straightforward simplicity conveys both the celebration and quietude that characterize the best of the Yuletide spirit.

A quintessential example of George Winston's "folk piano" style, December speaks to the spirit of the season. Mixing traditional carols, a couple of classical works, and his own originals, Winston drops notes with icy clarity into a winter silence, rippling through "Carol of Bells" and coaxing dark, introspective moods from his own suite, "Night."

~ Amazon.com