Search - Liz Story :: Pure Liz Story

A Gifted Pianist

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 01/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Liz Story's wonderfully lyrical piano stylings have made her one of the most popular and accomplished pianists of the last quarter century. From 1983 through 1998, Story recorded nine albums for the Windham Hill label and (except for 1994's Christmas album THE GIFT) they are all sampled here.



Story's music is both instrospective and calming. Even when performing "Mack the Knife," the song is tranformed into a lilting ballad. While most of these tracks are solo, Story is accompanied by percussion on the energetic "Toy Soldiers" and the dramatic "Deeper Reasons," as well as acoustic bass on the solemn "Ana."



Windham Hill's previous anthology (WELCOME HOME: THE BEST OF LIZ STORY) was released in 2001 following her final album for the label (1998's 17 SECONDS TO NOWHERE). While there are no new recordings to draw on for PURE LIZ STORY, only four tracks are repeated. The only post-1998 track is "Valse D'Amelie" from the 2005 various artists collection CINEMA. [Note: Story has since signed with the Digital Musicworks International label and released NIGHT SKY ESSAYS in 2005.]



If you're looking for a solid introduction to this gifted pianist, this is an excellent place to start. [Running Time - 68:26] VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED



"