Feb 11, 2014
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, the next few days will feature some brand new releases with songs just right for your sweetheart.
We begin with George Winston’s second tribute album to the pianist nicknamed “Doctor Funk”, Love Will Come: The Music of Vince Guaraldi Volume 2. Winston came to prominence for his sometimes somnambulant solo piano records for the Windom Hill label, primarily performing acoustic paeans to the changing seasons. He cites as major influences the music of Guaraldi, New Orleans legend Professor Longhair, and Ray Manzerek of the Doors. This listener is hard pressed to see the direct connection between these players and the uber-mellow Winston, but despite these unlikely sources, Love Will Come works very well.
Winston has a real feel for melody, and much of the material he selects is perfect for him. It helps that he eschews some of Guaraldi’s more up tempo numbers, and his latin influences to concentrate on a straight forward, no-nonsense approach.
Since Guaraldi is primarily known to non-jazz fans as the composer and performer of the soundtracks for the many “Peanuts” television shows, click here to listen to Winston play “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown”.