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Montana: A Love Story
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Price: $9.20
Price subject to change!
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0828766204223
Label: RCA Victor
Manufacturer: RCA Victor
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: RCA Victor
Release Date: 2004-10-12
Studio: RCA Victor
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Customer reviews of Montana: A Love Story
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Mr George Winston's Love Story
Comment: Mellow, tripping, carefree and atmospheric: George Winston makes some really good neo-classical noises on his Love Story CD, without a doubt the most relaxing you are ever likely to listen to. If you are into your heavy stuff this is not your bag; its feather notes tumbling from the piano have nothing of the grandeur of classical tradition, yet avoids being twee. The subtlety of Chopi without his moodyness. Simple, alluring, sexy and serene. Superb.
ALSO RECOMMENDED: Mehdi~Instrumental Heaven Volume 7 - Samples are at SoothingMusic.Com...A True Gem, Just Go Listen.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: The Eclectic Northener
Comment: As you can guess from the title of this album, George Winston lives in Montana. And, very clearly, he likes it there. Choosing to base his work on folk and traditional music that is associated with that state, the album has only five original compositions. This isn't bad by any means, but I spent my first listening (without reading the notes) thinking how familiar the music sounded. For those of us who are used to the more abstract styling of his other albums this takes a few cuts to get used to.
The sound is still the sparse, acoustic approach that Winston is noted for. He isn't a musician to waste notes unnecessarily, often paring a melody, traditional or not, down to its bare bones. It is more proper to say that he 'derived' his work from Montanan music rather than that he borrowed it. Winston's musical sense is always very good, and it certainly didn't fail him here as he mixes his jazz-like approach with a melodic tradition.
If I had my druthers, I would have liked to hear Winston work more with the music of Montana's northern frontier - the Voyageurs and the Metis. This isn't a criticism, Winston has drawn from what he is most familiar with. I just would like to here what a really good musician could do with traditions that get too little air time in the US.
Customer Rating:
Summary: from MainlyPiano.com
Comment: "Montana - A Love Story" is George Winston's tribute to his home state, and contains an eclectic grouping of piano solos coming from a variety of sources. The only real surprise on the album is that only five of the seventeen pieces are Winston's original compositions, but I doubt that his fans will be disappointed. From the beginning, Winston has called himself a "folk pianist" rather than "new age," and quite a few of the tracks are folk or traditional songs that Winston arranged as piano solos. Winston has again included a piece by fellow native-Montanan Philip Aaberg, a pianist Winston greatly admires and respects (who doesn't???). Most of the pieces are melodic and graceful, with the possible exception of Frank Zappa's "The Little House I Used to Live In," which is more discordant and abstract - can't say that I like that one much. Winston mentions in his liner notes that he is playing a lot of solo piano dances, and he includes some of his favorite pieces from those as well. Several of the tracks have a strong Asian-influence - an interesting development.
My favorites in this collection are pretty varied. "Thumbelina" comes from Mark Isham's soundtrack for the classic children's story. Gentle and quiet, this is a lovely opening. I really like "Billy In the Low Land," which is a variation on an American fiddle tune. It is easy to picture Montana's vast open spaces and to feel the peace and contentment of a simpler country life. "Valse Frontenac" is a traditional waltz from Quebec, and is a sweet and sincere piece full of charm and simple elegance. I prefer Philip Aaberg's recording of "Nevertheless, Hello," but Winston does this great piece justice. "The Twisting of The Hay Rope" is a joyful ancient Irish piece with a beautiful melody. "You Send Me," a slow-dance arrangement of the Sam Cooke classic, works well as a piano solo. "The Mountain Winds Call Your Name" is one of the originals, and much of it is played on plucked piano strings - a technique Winston has relished for a long time; it's an interesting piece. My favorite track is "Music Box" by Rentaro Taki, a haunting little piece with a bittersweet melody. I also really like Winston's arrangement of "Goodnight Irene," an easy-going waltz composed by Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly) in the early 20th century. The final two tracks are loving tributes to two of Winston's cats, both very tender and sweet, and full of Winston's distinctive open spaces.
George Winston has truly become a legend in his own time, and has had a strong influence on many pianists and other musicians. "Montana - A Love Story" is a continuation of his tradition of gathering pieces from a wide variety of sources and making them his own. Winston's many fans will love this album!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Classic George Winston
Comment: What a great CD! George Winston is a talented, innovative musician which this new recording clearly reflects. It has a great selection of songs, some originals and some interpretations of other composers, constituting a nice mixture of moods and feelings.
One of my favorites is Music Box, twinkling in the upper registers (similar to his previous recordings from the Snowman and Velveteen Rabbit) Other favorites include Goodnight Irene, Montana Glide, and Valse Frontenac (the latter has the classical feel of some of his December songs). Zappa's spooky Little House song is a bit avant-garde, but George Winston didn't get to be who he is by being commercial and predictable. This musician plays from the heart, every song evoking a distinct feeling or mood, and he's not afraid to try new things.
This multidimensional disc has instantly become one of my favorite driving CDs. I'm still waiting for a recording of Winston's fabulous Fats Waller influenced songs that you can only hear in his live concerts, and his Badelamente "midget song" that I only heard once in his concert during the Twin Peaks era. Keep surprising me, George!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A CD for true George Winston fans
Comment: I am a long time George Winston fan and was ecstatic to hear about the release of this new CD and I was not disappointed. I can see why he called this album A Love Story - the first three tracks are totally gorgeous, I found track number 3 Valse Frontenac especially romantic and easy to get lost in. I love his ability to make many styles of music his own.
George Winston's music was always made me want to cuddle up to someone I love in front of a warm fire and this CD is another perfect soundtrack. The only song I found a little hard to get my head around was The Little House I Used to Live In, but that wouldn't stop me from giving this CD 4 out of 5 stars.
It's a great album to, along with DECEMBER, add into the CD rotation this season.
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Editorial Reviews:
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From the opening piano notes of Montana: A Love Story, George Winston fans are sure to feel they've returned to safer ground after his last album, The Night Divides the Day, the pianist's dip into the acid rock of The Doors. There's nothing on Montana that wouldn't feel at home to anyone who has followed him since his first two albums on Takoma and Windham Hill records. Winston has carved out a space for open-air melodies that seem to echo off the Montana plains that have provided so much of his metaphorical imagery over the years. It's an attractive sound which, at its best, recalls Keith Jarrett's more contemplative ruminations, and at its worst, sounds like cocktail music by someone without a good fake book. The pure Winston sound can be heard on his originals, including "High Plains Lullaby," as well as covers like Mark Isham's childlike "Thumbelina." But Winston also plays Celtic tunes, Sam Cooke's R&B hit, "You Send Me," and Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene." And just to put you on edge, he does Frank Zappa's angular "The Little House I Used to Live In." He says it reminded him of the little house in which he grew up in Montana. When he explores these different styles, he becomes a more generic pianist, the kind you might hear at the local shopping mall. But on the reverie of "Sweet Soul" and the exoticism of "Sky," the distinct Winston sound is revealed as he continues to forge his brand of American Plains piano. --John Diliberto
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