December (George Winston album)

December is the fourth solo piano album from George Winston. It was recorded during the fall of 1982 and was released at the end of the year. It is a Christmas album, and more generally a tribute to the winter season. The album is a follow-up to Winter into Spring from earlier in 1982.

December
Studio album by
George Winston
Released1982
RecordedSeptember/October 1982
StudioDifferent Fur, San Francisco, California
Genre
Length38:54
45:25 (20th Anniversary Edition)
LabelWindham Hill, Dancing Cat (rerelease)
ProducerWilliam Ackerman
George Winston
George Winston chronology
Winter into Spring
(1982)		 December
(1982)		 The Velveteen Rabbit
(1984)
Alternate cover
2013 CD Digipak reissue
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

December is Winston's highest-selling album, having been certified triple Platinum by the RIAA, signifying 3 million copies in shipment.[2] The success of the album, along with several of Winston's other albums from the early 1980s, enabled the record label, Windham Hill, to get international distribution and a higher profile.[3] The album also spent 136 weeks on the Billboard 200, reaching a peak of No. 54 in January 1984, over a year after its original release.[4] In 1987, five years after its release, it reached No. 2 on Billboard's Top Holiday Albums chart.[5]

A 20th Anniversary Edition of the album, with two bonus tracks, was released in 2001. The album was again reissued in 2013 by Valley Entertainment with Dancing Cat Records, Winston's own label. This reissue was packaged in a Digipak and features revised cover art.[6]

Critical reception

AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann commented that December ranks as "the mother of all solo instrumental albums, and with good reason. Mixing traditional carols with Pachelbel's Canon and a few originals, Winston produces a solo piano album of unparalleled—and undeniable—beauty. How can music be simultaneously stirring and soothing, relaxed yet exalted? Millions have found the answer here, and an industry has spent decades trying to duplicate it."[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by George Winston, except where noted

Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)Liner notes by WinstonLength
1."Thanksgiving" Inspired by friends and places of Miles City, Montana4:04
2."Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head"John Jacob NilesOriginally an Appalachian carol of the late 1800s2:40
3."Joy"J. S. Bach, arr. by David QualeyInspired by an arrangement by guitarist David Qualey3:13
4."Prelude" Inspired by American Peanuts jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi1:16
5."Carol of the Bells"M. D. Leontovych; arr. by George Winston 3:56
6."Night, Part One: Snow"  1:51
7."Night, Part Two: Midnight"  1:56
8."Night, Part Three: Minstrels"Malcolm DalglishInspired by St. Basil's Hymn, a traditional Greek children's New Year's carol based upon a rendition by American hammered dulcimer player Malcolm Dalglish, from his album Thunderhead (1982)2:00
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)Liner notes by WinstonLength
9."Variations on the Kanon by Johann Pachelbel"Johann Pachelbel; arr. by George Winston 5:21
10."The Holly and the Ivy"Traditional; arr. by George Winston 4:52
11."Some Children See Him"Alfred S. BurtOne of 15 carols Burt wrote as gifts for friends. The piece was originally a song with lyrics by Wilha Hutson.3:43
12."Peace"  4:02
Total length:38:54
20th Anniversary Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."A Christmas Song"John Barry2:25
14."Sleep Baby Mine"Alfred S. Burt4:06
Total length:45:25

Personnel

Credits adapted from 1982 vinyl liner notes.

  • George Winston — piano
Additional
  • Anne Ackerman, William Ackerman — cover design
  • Karen Kirsch, Steven Miller — sound engineers
  • Jack Hunt — mastering
  • Greg Edmonds — photography

Chart
Chart (1984–87) Peak
position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] 49
US Billboard 200[8] 54
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[9] 2
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[10] 5

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[11] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[12] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Ruhlmann, William. December at AllMusic
  2. Moser, John J. (April 9, 2015). "Pianist George Winston, playing in Bethlehem, finds inspiration in illness, recovery". The Morning Call.
  3. Will's Biography, Will Ackerman homepage
  4. "George Winston". Billboard.
  5. "George Winston". Billboard.
  6. "December". Valley Entertainment. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  7. "Charts.nz – George Winston – December". Hung Medien.
  8. "George Winston Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  9. "George Winston Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard.
  10. "December – Jazz Albums".
  11. "Canadian album certifications – George Winston – December". Music Canada.
  12. "American album certifications – George Winston – December". Recording Industry Association of America.
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