SEASONAL SONGS
LITCHFIELD’S PAUL WINTER CELEBRATES THE SOLSTICE WITH MUSIC
Call him a man for all seasons. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Grammy-winning saxophonist Paul Winter remains inspired by the Earth’s seasonal changes, celebrating events like the winter and summer solstices and spring and autumn equinoxes the best way he knows how — through music.
Every December since 1980, the Litchfield-based composer and bandleader has hosted massive Winter Solstice celebrations at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan with his Paul Winter Consort and special guests that combine music, dance and spectacle with an ecological message.
Because of the pandemic, the event this year takes place as an on-demand video presentation on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. Titled “Everybody Under the Sun,” it’s featuring live performances culled from the four decades of Cathedral shows. Highlights include past appearances by Gary Brooker from Procol Harum, Noel Paul Stookey from Peter, Paul and Mary and many others.
Winter presented seasonal-themed virtual concerts this year, too, including his 25th annual Summer Solstice concert and an Autumn Equinox celebration, streamed live from the barn-turned-music studio located on his farm in the hills of Northwest Connecticut. During a recent conversation, Winter explained that his inspiration for celebrating the seasons through music basically comes from the ground up.
“In large part I think I’m motivated by where I live, because I live in those seasons,” he said. “I live next to woods and fields and streams. I’m out every day, and I’m really aware of all the changes that are happening. In a way these are my own kind of love songs to home.”
A Connecticut resident since 1965, Winter has traveled and performed in 52 countries on six continents and performed more than 3,000 concerts. His music combines elements of jazz, world music and classical motifs that often include sounds of nature like wolves, birds and whales recorded in the field.
“Once you realize how much you love nature, you feel at home anywhere on this planet,” he said. “It’s in us. I’m fascinated with those universal dimensions all people share, and I feel that to the extent that our music can reflect that, then I’m putting forth my best message.”
Winter presented four livestream virtual concerts from the barn in total this year. His daughter Kay Winter has been involved in their production, and she explained how these virtual shows developed.
“A few years ago we began streaming our Winter Solstice Celebrations for those in Paul’s community that couldn’t physically make it to New York for the events,” she said. “This experience helped lay the foundation for us to be able to move to virtual concerts, when the pandemic ended all attended events.
“We invested in a small streaming setup and began learning as much as we could,” she continued. “Paul had come to this barn because of the acoustics in the loft, and we have used it in the past for recording projects. We had never considered it as a ‘concert’ space, but it has been the perfect forum for exploring new musical offerings for these livestream events we have done in the last six months.”
Winter has made more than 50 records and has been awarded seven Grammy honors. He considers his latest, “Light of the Sun,” released last month, particularly special.
“It’s the first album I have ever done in which my horn is featured throughout,” he said. “I’ve always been a bandleader first and a sax player second. But for years, I had dreamed of doing a solo sax album. So I figured, when I turned 80 last year, it was time to give it a shot.”