Windows: Windham Hill 25 Years of Piano

This tribute disc to the 25-year piano legacy of Windham Hill was assembled during a time of administrative reorganization for the label, which may explain why a showcase for such an influential catalog of music has been compressed into a single 54-minute disc. Such relative brevity does not negatively impact its quality or appeal, though label founder Will Ackerman, who sold the label in the 1990s, penned the liner notes and apparently chose the tracks. Label legends George Winston, Jim Brickman, and Liz Story are each represented by two tracks, though nothing from Winston's genre-defining Autumn release is found here. However, Story's superb Solid Colors ("Wedding Rain") is represented, a nod to a grand 1982 release that ranks as the label's finest moment. Among the less familiar names here (five tracks are lifted from past new-artist samplers), Richard Dworsky ("A Morning with the Roses") and soulful 16-year-old Taylor Eigsti ("Past Voices") merit special notice. Back in the early 1970s, every Windham Hill recording merited special notice. Each new release was a revelation to rock- and pop-rooted listeners, presenting a startling mix of new-acoustic purity, intelligence, and emotional expansiveness. Here's hoping the next 25 years generate some similar sparks. --Terry Wood