Glory.

With Autumn, Forest, and December, George Winston sets the musical scene for entering the Oyster Months.  Autumn provides a peaceful and memorable companion to lengthening shadows, falling temperatures, and glowing landscapes.  The crisp austerity of December lends itself to the shortened days, best played upon waking or after a late evening's saunter through the woods.

Like November, Winston's 1994 release, Forest, is the perfect musical transition between these two.  Hinting at the motifs of Autumn and December, Forest also connects the listener to the seasonal landscape -- "Tamarack Pines," "Forbidden Forest," and "Cloudy This Morning" would not be out of place on Autumn.  One of the collection's biggest treats is the suite of tunes from The Snowman, a silent, animated film from 1982.  Winston's inclusion of these haunting pieces is masterful.  Unlike the others, Forest does contain a few hiccups (you'll know them when you hear them), but overall this album is indispensable to the full enjoyment of the grand glory of the Oyster Months.

Kurt provided my introduction to Winston in the early 1980s, so his gift of Forest, on my birthday the year of its release, was a fitting continuation of my education and appreciation.  I remember playing it in my chambers on Burg Street -- fireplace crackling, lights out, blinds open, misty purple descending on the woods outside -- 'twas, and always will be, Autumn.