MUSIC FROM PLANET EARTH: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the United States. We are part of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located in Washington, D.C. 

We are dedicated to supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among peoples through the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of sound. We believe that musical and cultural diversity contributes to the vitality and quality of life throughout the world. Through the dissemination of audio recordings and educational materials we seek to strengthen people's engagement with their own cultural heritage and to enhance their awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of others.

The Smithsonian may archive materials posted on this website pursuant to its document retention policies. By posting content, you are giving the Smithsonian and those authorized by the Smithsonian permission to use or modify it for any educational, promotional, or other standard museum purpose, in media of all kinds whether now known or later developed. For more on the Smithsonian's terms of use and privacy policies visit: http://www.si.edu/termsofuse 

George Winston grew up mainly in Montana, and also spent his later formative years in Mississippi and Florida. During this time, his favorite music was instrumental rock and instrumental R&B, including Floyd Cramer, the Ventures, Booker T & The MG’s, Jimmy Smith, and many more. Inspired by R&B, jazz, Blues and rock (especially the Doors), George began playing organ in 1967. In 1971 he switched to the acoustic piano after hearing recordings from the 1920s and the 1930s by the legendary stride pianists Thomas “Fats” Waller and the late Teddy Wilson. In addition to working on stride piano, he also at this time came up with his own style of melodic instrumental music on solo piano, called folk piano. 

Since 1972 George has released thirteen solo piano albums: AUTUMN (1980), WINTER INTO SPRING (1982), DECEMBER (1982), SUMMER (1991), FOREST (1994), LINUS & LUCY-THE MUSIC OF VINCE GUARALDI (1996), PLAINS (1999), which was inspired by his Eastern Montana upbringing, NIGHT DIVIDES THE DAY - THE MUSIC OF THE DOORS (2002), MONTANA-A LOVE STORY (2004) and GULF COAST BLUES & IMPRESSIONS-A HURRICANE RELIEF BENEFIT (2006). His most recent recording are LOVE WILL COME - THE MUSIC OF VINCE GUARALDI VOL 2 (2010), and GULF COAST BLUES & IMPRESSIONS 2-A LOUISIANA WETLANDS BENEFIT (2012).
In 2001 George released REMEMBRANCE - A MEMORIAL BENEFIT, a seven song EP of piano, guitar and harmonica solos, to benefit those affected by 9/11.  He has also worked with the late George Levenson of Informed Democracy (www.informeddemocracy.com) on three projects: a solo guitar soundtrack for SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES, and soundtracks of piano, guitar and, harmonica solos for PUMPKIN CIRCLE, and BREAD COMES TO LIFE. In addition, he has recorded the solo piano soundtrack for the children’s story THE VELVETEEN RABBIT for Rabbit Ears Productions. 	

George is presently concentrating mainly on live performances, and most of the time he is touring playing solo piano concerts (the Summer Show or the Winter Show), solo guitar concerts, solo harmonica concerts, and solo piano dances (with R&B and slow dance songs). 

He is currently most inspired by the great New Orleans R&B pianists Henry Butler, James Booker, Professor Longhair, Dr. John, and Jon Cleary, and he is also working on interpreting pieces on solo piano by his favorite composers, including Vince Guaraldi, Professor Longhair, and the Doors, as well as Sam Cooke, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Randy Newman, Curtis Mayfield, Laura Nyro, Al Kooper, Jimmy Wisner, Arthur Lee, Frank Zappa, Ralph Towner, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Coltrane, Milt Jackson, John Hartford, Oliver Schroer, Taj Mahal, Henry Butler, James Booker, Jon Cleary, Philip Aaberg and others, to play at concerts, and at his solo piano dances.

George is also working on solo guitar and is recording the masters of the Hawaiian Slack Key guitar for an extensive series of albums for Dancing Cat Records (www.dancingcat.com). Slack Key is the name for the beautiful solo fingerstyle guitar tradition, unique to Hawaii, which began in the early 1800s and predated the steel guitar by over half a century. 

He is also recording his main inspirations for his harmonica playing: Sam Hinton, Rick Epping, and Curt Bouterse.

Piano: George Winston plays Steinway Pianos
Guitar: Martin D -35 (1966), with low 7th string added
Harmonica: Hohner Big Rivers & Cross Harps, key of low D


"Gorgeousness in the Spiro/Penguins zone"
 - fRoots Magazine

"Just once in a while an album comes along that takes you to places you hadn’t realise existed. Arlet’s Clearing did this, and much more, for me."
 - Folk Radio UK (Johnny Whalley)

"organic talent and feeling that bursts through with each track...they make the kind of wonderful, stirring, instrumental, orchestral music that not just folk music, but music in general, is founded."
 - Thank Folk For That (Josh King)

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Arlet are a diverse group of Kent-based musicians, whose music is found somewhere between the folk club and the chamber music hall.

Propelled by the restless creativity of accordionist and composer Aidan Shepherd, their sound brings together all the primary colours of the orchestra - strings, woodwind and brass. A founding musical inspiration is a love of the joyful melodicism and rhythmic intensity of British Folk, but rather than viewing folk traditions as artefacts to be revered, Arlet have drawn on folk idioms as a route to their own brand of carefully sculpted, richly harmonic and lusciously textured music.

Sounding sometimes like a chamber quintet letting its hair down and finding a curious groove circa 1973, sometimes like a session band in the corner of a rural pub suddenly slipping through a vortex into another musical dimension...

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

www.arlet.co.uk

info@arlet.co.uk

arlet.bandcamp.com





Ludovico Einaudi is known the world over through films and TV. His music has featured in titles including Black Swan, Doctor Zhivago, This is England and many more. In 2011 his track I Giorni was played on Radio 1, and his haunting melodies are timeless in their beauty.

Follow me for new and bespoke recordings straight from the label.

Decca Classics - Home to the stars of Classical Music

Fred and Ben knew each other from school, but it wasn’t until the pair met after moving to Canterbury to study that they realized they shared a love of traditional music and cycling. Thus began their musical journey. They started busking together but as winter came it dawned on them that there was a lack of tunes session in Canterbury. So with the help of a friendly landlord, they set up a night at The Canterbury Tales, which still runs today. From this session grew the band Triskele, their first official musical venture and it was not long before they were in high demand, both on the pub scene and the local music venue circuit. After graduating in 2012 Fred moved up to London, to join the blooming session scene there, whilst Ben stayed in Canterbury. However, the pair did not wish their musical journey to end just yet, and so Radigun was born! They are a largely instrumental group, which bring together tunes from the dispersed Celtic traditions. With inventive arrangements and enigmatic stage presence they hope to bring traditonal music to places that it would not normally reach.

user560196355 is following