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CNN Saturday Morning News

George Winston Reflects on 20 Years of Music-Making

Aired January 05, 2002 - 09:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: There's likely going to be plenty of music for the AFI ceremony, but few people can tickle the ivories like George Winston. Maybe that's because he's been doing it for a while.

Here's CNN's Jodi Ross.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JODI ROSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Legendary pianist George Winston is celebrating more than two decades of composing, performing, and recording, and he isn't fazed a bit.

(on camera): Is it strange to you to be celebrating 20 years?

GEORGE WINSTON, COMPOSER AND PIANIST: No, that's just what it is. It could be 10, could be 30. It's just working, you know.

ROSS: You don't think about the time.

WINSTON: No, it's just now. And the 10 -- and the next 10 years, that's kind of where my mind is at.

ROSS (voice-over): Winston is looking to the future, but his most recent trio of records is all about the past. The 20th anniversary re-release of "Autumn," his breakthrough album, and "December," his most popular, feature bonus tracks and lots of extras.

But it's his benefit album, "Remembrance," that offers much more than music.

WINSTON: I'd always wanted to do a benefit record, so "Remembrance" was always kind of brewing in me. It's just I wasn't sure what songs or who for.

ROSS: All money made from the record is for the families of victims and survivors of September 11.

WINSTON: You know, you can deal with that with music, you know, sitting -- better than sitting around being mad all the time or sad or something. Glad I've got music.

ROSS: And Winston's fans get the music too. On average, he travels three weeks out of every month. WINSTON: It's just interaction with the community which makes the music grow, the location makes the music grow, season makes the music grow. So it just -- I need the sort of DNA of every place there is.

ROSS: Right now, he's on the road and will be in North Carolina in the middle of January and Georgia at the end of the month.

WINSTON: That's why music exists for me, is to play it live.

ROSS: Jodi Ross, CNN Entertainment News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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