Winston thrills audience with variety

Looking at the stage, I couldn't believe my eyes. George Winston was the only one playing, but it sounded like two, maybe three pianists were at it simultaneously.\nGrammy-winning pianist George Winston performed a solo concert Monday night at the IU Auditorium. The concert was a fundraiser for Hoosier Hills Food Bank. Concertgoers were asked to bring nonperishable food items to the show.\nWinston was casual in the way he dressed and the way the concert took place. A sweater and jeans made up his wardrobe, making him seem like a laid-back guy. He spoke between pieces, explaining what he was about to play.\nWinston performed music from a variety of genres. He played jazz, seasonal music, international music, popular music (including one song by Sarah McLachlan) and Hawaiian slack key guitar, among others. This music appealed to most of the audience, not just music students. This is proof the pianist has not sold out; rather, he has tried to study as much variety as he can to fulfill his own musical needs. \nSolo piano concerts can be inspiring but at times a little monotonous. This pianist took care of that. Not only was the music varied, but the instruments kept the audience guessing as well. He played the guitar and the harmonica during the performance.\nI have never witnessed anybody play the harmonica like Winston did during Monday's performance. How is it possible for anybody to play the melody and the accompaniment of a song with a four by two-inch instrument? As far as his guitar playing goes, "amazing" is the only word that comes to mind. Is there anything this man can't do with a musical instrument?\nWinston has a talent for playing notes higher and lower than I thought possible with these instruments. Sometimes his piano playing sounded like an electric piano or organ. This was because of some strange distortions he created by reaching into the piano. \nHis seasonal music was my least favorite. But when he played a song about autumn, it was the perfect audible illustration of the foliage season. You could listen to things dying in the music, as if it were a sad love story. On the other hand, a song about spring was happy; you could almost hear the birds singing and the rains pouring in the meadows.\nNear the end of the concert, Winston said he was going to play a few songs in the style of his greatest mentors, Henry Butler and James Booker, both of whom are jazz musicians and natives of New Orleans. He played these songs even more vigorously than the others, making it clear jazz is his favorite genre.\nThe best thing about Winston was his humility and humanity. In one of his speaking segments, he admitted to merely scratching the surface of what Butler has done with music.