At 23, he performed the first-ever jazz concert at the White House for Jackie Kennedy. In his 30s, he played saxophone to whales off Canada’ s coast. Astronauts took a cassette of his album to the moon. The seven-time Grammy ® winner is our neighbor and will be performing in Great Barrington this December.
music
B y A n a s t a s i a S t a n m e y e r
Paul Winter’ s Earth Music
Paul Winter in his barn surrounded by large Woodstock Chimes, which their creator, Garry Kvistad, calls“ big tubes."( Gregory Cherin)
At 23, he performed the first-ever jazz concert at the White House for Jackie Kennedy. In his 30s, he played saxophone to whales off Canada’ s coast. Astronauts took a cassette of his album to the moon. The seven-time Grammy ® winner is our neighbor and will be performing in Great Barrington this December.
TO VISIT SAXOPHONIST, BANDLEADER, AND COMPOSER PAUL WINTER is to become an active participant— in exploring his incredible barn of music, in making music on the fly, in listening deeply, in discussing the symphony of creatures on our planet, in digging into blueberry muffins and coffee. His body of work chronicles his wide-ranging experiences in the musical traditions and natural environments.
For this interview, I was joined by David Rothenberg, a friend and professor of philosophy and music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, with a special interest in animal sounds as music. He is also a composer and jazz musician whose books and recordings reflect a deep interest in understanding other species by making music with them. David was greatly influenced at a young age by Paul’ s Common Ground album and more than pleased to join me.
Not only did I go into this interview in good company, it was also good timing. On Saturday, November 29, at New York City’ s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Paul Winter Consort will present the concert premiere of Paul ' s new album, Horn of Plenty, which will
34 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Holiday 2023 2025