Track Listing

1. Keiki's Dream (Child's Dream) - Keola Beamer
2. I Saw Three Ships - Darol Anger
3. Babe Is Born/Enter the Stable Gently - Liz Story
4. Snowfall Lullaby - Barbara Higbie
5. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Alex de Grassi
6. Impending Death of the Virgin Spirit - Will Ackerman
7. Nit de Nadal (Christmas Night) /El Noi de la Mare (Song of Mary) - Mike Marshall
8. Dreamtime - Nightnoise
9. Year's End - Will Ackerman
10. Song Before Spring - Ufonia, Benjamin Verdery
11. What Are the Signs - George Winston
12. Rain into Snow - William Coulter
13. 20 Below - Paul McCandless
14. Christmas Wish - Tuck & Patti

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49333 in Music
• Released on: 1998-08-11
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
You know this winter "reunion" is going to be a good one when Hawaiian slack-key guitar great Keola Beamer opens it with a stunning original, "Keiki's Dream." Reassembling the artists who defined the Windham Hill sound, Reunion features pianist Liz Story arranging the Spanish traditional "Babe Is Born" for solo piano, Windham vet Alex DeGrassi bringing his graceful acoustic guitar work to bear on "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," and capo William Ackermann rolling out his trademark steel-string arpeggios on a pensive, minor-key original, "Impending Death of the Virgin Spirit." The man who put Windham Hill on the map, pianist George Winston, contributes a lovely reading of Alfred Burt's "What Are the Signs," and fretless bass wonder Michael Manring tickles the ivories as well as bass on a circumspect "Year's End." More about the symbolism of the winter season than the joy of Christmas, Reunion is classic Windham Hill, meditative and a bit melancholy. Also features Mike Marshall, Ben Verdery, Paul McCandless, and others. --James Rotondi

Customer Reviews

The Best of the Rest of the Solstice (s)
This is the best of the Winter Solstice series. It contains music for the Christmas holidays, as well as tunes for the winter season. The mood is introspective, yet celebratory throughout. This disc has one of my favorite contempory Christmas songs, A Christmas Wish by Tuck and Patty. (My other favorite is Christmas Bells by John Gorka on Winter Solstice III and a Putamayo Christmas). If you can only get one of the Solstice CDs, I recommend this one. Otherwise buy this one with numbers III V and VI.

SUPERB, and ALMOST the best of the series
Probably 4.5 stars; A SUPERB release, and an attempt to get back to as many of the original groundbreaking artists which made the Winter's Solstice series so endearing. Highlights: As ALWAYS, I look forward most to Ackerman and especially, Barbara Higbee's contributions to any of the Winter's Solstice CDs. Higbee in particular, always has the most surprising arrangments or original compositions, and this release is a perfect example. "Snowfall Lullaby" is one of the most touching lullaby melodies. (though it is by no means sleepy; simply comforting in a sort of "neo-celtic" way). There are Harps, violin & piano; you simply must hear it to know how fine it is, and to experience what I'm trying to describe in words. Ackermann normally tries to write something original, or which is not a traditionally well-known Christmas song, which was the overall attempt in the groundbreaking first two Winter's Solstice releases. Here he does a pensive remake of one of his classics "Impending Death Of The Virgin Spirit". Perhaps one might see it as a deep-reflection on Mary's depth of charcter and her impending suffering which will one day lead to the loss of her child. Darol Anger's "I saw Three Ships" is an quite original, if more familiar melody. It's an arrangement that is peaceful & lilting & not the usual "jig" we hear so often. There are so many others: "What are the Signs" by Winston is a perfect "10", "Year's End" by Manring, Paul McCandless's "20 Degrees Below" and Liz Story's "Babe Is Born/Enter The Stable Gently". While there are a couple uneven spots, by some less familiar artists, this is one of the essential releases of the series. My final recommendation is to buy the SECOND Winter's Solstice release first, which to me, has always been the pinnacle of originality & creative spirit, even exceeding the fine first release, and then also buy this release to see how original these collections can be, before venturing into some of the later ones, most of which are good, but which often feature traditional Christmas melodies rather than the more obscure carols & original compositions featured here. Overall, nearly a perfect release!

So good
This is the best of the Winter solstice albums. I'm not one for a real new age sound. I like classic, celtic, instruments. This CD shines... contemporary with olde sounds. The second track is by far the best track to me.. it has a holiday flavor, but I don't just listen to this during the holidays. In fact, all of the Solstice albums are like this really. Its not Christmassy.. its beautiful, serene, music. My other favorites are I, II, and VI.