George Winston at Firehouse Arts Center

Grammy Award winner George Winston comes to the intimate Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton with an evening of solo piano on Saturday, July 23, at 8:00 p.m.

Winston's music is known and loved the world over for its lyrical, melodic aesthetic. His three self-described main styles are currently: melodic folk piano, New Orleans R&B piano, and stride piano.

George says he is most inspired right now by the great New Orleans R&B pianists Henry Butler, James Booker, Professor Longhair, Dr. John, and Jon Cleary. He is also in the process of working on interpreting pieces on solo piano by his favorite composers, including Vince Guaraldi, Professor Longhair, and the Doors, as well as Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Ralph Towner, Sam Cooke, Randy Newman, Al Kooper, Jimmy Wisner, Arthur Lee, Frank Zappa, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Wes Montgomery, John Coltrane, Cal Tjader, John Hartford, Oliver Schroer, Taj Mahal, Philip Aaberg, Henry Butler, James Booker, Jon Cleary... and others....

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Grammy Award winner George Winston comes to the intimate Firehouse Arts Center in Pleasanton with an evening of solo piano on Saturday, July 23, at 8:00 p.m.

Winston's music is known and loved the world over for its lyrical, melodic aesthetic. His three self-described main styles are currently: melodic folk piano, New Orleans R&B piano, and stride piano.

George says he is most inspired right now by the great New Orleans R&B pianists Henry Butler, James Booker, Professor Longhair, Dr. John, and Jon Cleary. He is also in the process of working on interpreting pieces on solo piano by his favorite composers, including Vince Guaraldi, Professor Longhair, and the Doors, as well as Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Ralph Towner, Sam Cooke, Randy Newman, Al Kooper, Jimmy Wisner, Arthur Lee, Frank Zappa, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Wes Montgomery, John Coltrane, Cal Tjader, John Hartford, Oliver Schroer, Taj Mahal, Philip Aaberg, Henry Butler, James Booker, Jon Cleary... and others.

Having grown up mainly in Montana, George Winston 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, then 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 1972 he recorded his first solo piano album, BALLADS AND BLUES, for the late guitarist John Fahey's Takoma label. And the rest, as they say, is history.

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