Windham Hill Records Discography

Windhaming. The Windham Hill Records Discography.

Welcome to Windhaming, the complete Windham Hill Records Discography featuring samples, reviews, liner notes, credits and links to the artists.

If you’re a jazz, new age or acoustic instrumental music fan, you’ve come to the right place to learn more about artists like William Ackerman, George Winston, Alex De Grassi, Shadowfax, Darol Anger, and so many more.

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A note on catalog numbers: When Will Ackerman founded the label, he used the same catalog numbering system as Takoma Records, which primarily used C-10XX (but also used A- and B-, according to Discogs). This continued until Will signed a distribution deal with A&M records. They started reissuing albums without the C-, but otherwise using the same catalog numbers.

Some have reported transitional discs. For example, Shadowfax – Shadowdance comes with WH-1029 on the jacket and label, but clearly has WHS-C-1029 in the deadwax.

Othewise, the latest C- pressing found is George Winston’s December WHS-C 1025.

Select an album for reviews, samples, track listings, and credits:

RELEASE ARTIST TITLE
1976
WHS C-1001 WH 1001 William Ackerman The Search for the Turtle’s Navel 1976
WHS C-1002 (no WH 1002) Linda Waterfall Mary’s Garden 1976
1977
WHS C-1003 WH 1003 William Ackerman It Takes a Year 1977
1978
WHS C-1004 WH 1004 Alex De Grassi Turning: Turning Back 1978
WHS C-1005 (no WH 1005) Robbie Basho Visions of the Country 1978
1979
WHS C-1006 WH 1006 William Ackerman Childhood and Memory 1979
WHS C-1007 (no WH 1007) Kidd Afrika Kidd Afrika 1979
WHS C-1008 WH 1008 Bill Quist Piano Solos of Erik Satie 1979
WHS C-1009 WH 1009 Alex De Grassi Slow Circle 1979
WHS C-1010 LL 82 Robbie Basho The Art of the Acoustic Steel String Guitar 1979
1980
WHS C-1011 WH 1011 David Qualey Soliliquy 1980
WHS C-1012 WH 1012 George Winston Autumn 1980
WHS C-1013 WH 1013 Daniel Hecht Willow 1980
1981
WHSD C-1014 WH 1014 William Ackerman Passage 1981
WHS C-1015 WH 1015 Windham Hill Artists Windham Hill Records Sampler ‘81 1981
WHS C-1016 WH 1016 Scott Cossu Wind Dance 1981
WHS C-1017 WH 1017 Michael Hedges Breakfast in the Field 1981
WHS C-1018 WH 1018 Alex De Grassi Clockwork 1981
1982
WHS C-1019 WH 1019 George Winston Winter Into Spring 1982
WHS C-1020 WH 1020 Ira Stein and Russel Walder Elements 1982
WHS-C 1021 WH 1021 Darol Anger and Barbara Higbie Tideline 1982
WHS-C 1022 WH-1022 Shadowfax Shadowfax 1982
WHS-C 1023 WH 1023 Liz Story Solid Colors 1982
WHS-C 1024 WH 1024 Windham Hill Artists Windham Hill Records Sampler ‘82 1982
WHS-C WH 1025 George Winston December 1982
WH 1026 Windham Hill Artists An Evening with Windham Hill Live 1982
1983
WH 1027 Mark Isham Vapor Drawings 1983
WH 1028 William Ackerman Past Light 1983
WH 1029(Some versions feature WHS-C 1029 in the deadwax) Shadowfax Shadowdance 1983
WH 1030 Alex De Grassi Southern Exposure 1983
1984/85
WH 1031 Bill Oskay and Micheal O Domhnaill Nightnoise 1984
WH 1032 Michael Hedges Aerial Boundaries 1984
WH 1033 Scott Cossu Islands 1984
WH 1034 Liz Story Unaccountable Effect 1985
WH 1035 Windham Hill Artists Windham Hill Records Sampler ‘84 1984
WH 1036 Darol Anger Barbara Higbie Quintet with Mike Marshall, Todd Phillips and Andy Narell Live at Montreaux 1985
WH 1037 Philip Aaberg High Plains 1985
WH 1038 Shadowfax The Dreams of Children 1984
WH 1039 Featuring Windham Hill Artists George Winston, Darol Anger, Mark Isham and Mike Marshall Country An Original Soundtrack Album 1984
1985
WH 1040 Windham Hill Artists Windham Hill Records Piano Sampler 1985
WH 1041 Mark Isham Film Music“Mrs. Soffel”“The Times of Harvey Milk”“Never Cry Wolf” 1985
WH 1042 Ira Stein & Russel Walder Transit 1985
WH 1043 Mike Marshall Darol Anger Chiaroscuro 1985
1986
WH 1044 Michael Manring Unusual Weather 1986
WH 1045 Windham Hill Artists A Winter’s Solstice 1986
WH 1046 Malcom Dalglish Jogging the Memory 1986
WH 1047 Interior Interior 1985
WH 1048 Windham Hill Artists Windham Hill Records Sampler ‘86 1986
WH 1049 Scott Cossu with Eugene Friesen Reunion 1986
WH 1050 William Ackerman Conferring with the Moon 1986
WH 1051 Shadowfax Too Far To Whisper 1986
WH 1052 unreleased
WH 1053 unreleased
WH 1054 unreleased
WH 1055 Windham Hill Artists The Shape of the Land
WH 1056 Wim Mertens Close Cover 1986
1987
WH 1057 Nightnoise Something of Time 1987
WH 1058 Montreaux Sign Language 1987
WH 1059 William Allaudin Mathieu Available Light 1987
WH 1060 Schonherz and Scott One Night in Vienna 1987
WH 1061 Tim Story Glass Green 1987
WH 1062WH-1700 (second issue) Windham Hill Artists Soul of the Machine 1987
WH 1063 Scott Cossu She Describes Infinity 1987
WH 1064 Rubaja and Hernandez High Plateaux 1987
WH 1065 Windham Hill Artists Windham Hill Records Sampler ‘88 1988
WH 1066 Michael Hedges Live on the Double Planet 1987
WH 1067 Interior Design 1987
1988
WH 1068 Metamora Morning Walk 1988
WH 1069 Philip Aaberg Out of the Frame 1988
WH 1070 Ian Matthews Walking a Changing Line 1988
WH 1071 Fred Simon Usually/Always 1988
WH 1072 Windham Hill Artists Guitar Sampler 1988
WH 1073 Phillippe Saisse Valerian 1988
WH 1074 Theresa Schroeder-Sheker Queen’s Minstrel 1988
WH 1075 Paul McCandless Hearsay 1988
WH 1076 Nightnoise At the End of the Evening 1988
WH 1077 Windham Hill Artists Winter Solstice II 1988
WH 1078 William Ackerman Imaginary Roads 1988
WH 1079 Wim Mertens Whisper Me 1988
WH 1080 Mark Isham Tibet 1988
WH 1081 Scott Cossu Switchback 1989
WH 1082 Windham Hill Artists Windham Hill Records Sampler ‘89 1989
WH 1083 Michael Manring Toward the Center of the Night 1989
WH 1084 Montreaux Let Them Say 1989
WH 1085 The Nylons Rockapella 1989
WH 1086 Windham Hill Artists Legacy: A Collection of New Folk 1989
WH 1087 Pierce Pettis While the Serpent Lies Sleeping 1989
WH 1088 Philip Aaberg Upright 1989
WD 1089 John Gorka Land of the Bottom Line  CD and Cassette
WD 1090 Barbara Higbie Signs of Life CD and Cassette
WD 1091 Modern Mandolin Quartet Intermezzo  CD and Cassette
WD 1092 Cliff Eberhardt Long Road CD and Cassette
WD 1093 Michael Hedges Taproot CD and Cassette
WD 1094 John French, Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser & Richard Thompson Invisible Means CD and Cassette
WD 1095 Windham Hill Artists Windham Hill: The First Ten Years  CD and Cassette
WD 1096 David Torn Door X CD and Cassette
WH 1097Last US vinyl release? Nightnoise The Parting Tide 1990
WD 1098 Windham Hill Artists A Winter Solstice III  CD and Cassette
WD 1099 Liz Story Escape of the Circus Ponies CD and Cassette
WD 1100 Alex De Grassi Deep at Night CD and Cassette
WD 1101 Mark Isham Songs My Children Taught Me  CD and Cassette
WD 1102 Michael Manring Drastic Measures  CD and Cassette
WH 1103 unreleased
WD 1104 Shadowfax What Goes Around: The Best of Shadowfax  CD and Cassette
WD 1105 Schoenherz and Scott Under a Big Sky CD and Cassette
WD 1106 Windham Hill Artists Guitar Sampler II  CD and Cassette
 WH 1107WD 1107 George Winston  Summer  1991
 Promo Singles 
 Michael Manring  Welcoming
 WH 17306  Shadowfax  Shaman Song/Another Country 1984
 WH 17433  Shadowfax  the orangutan gang (strikes back) live / album versions 1986
Lost Lake Arts
LL 81 George Winston Ballads and Blues, 1972 Piano solo
LL 82 Bola Sete Ocean Guitar solo
LL 83 Robbie Basho Art of the Guitar Guitar Solo
LL 84 John Renbourne Sir John A lot of Guitar and ensemble
LL 85  Shadowfax  Watercourse Way  ensemble
LL 86  Scott Cossu  Still Moments  piano
LL 87  John Renbourn  The Lady and the Unicorn  Gutar
LL 88 Pierre Bensusan  Early Pierre Bensusan  Guitar
LL 89  ?
LL 90  ?
LL 91  Paul Horn  Sketches: A Collection  Ensemble
LL 92 Pierre Bensusan Musiques Guitar, mandoline and vocals
 LL 93  Puck Fair  Fair Play
LL 94  Tim Story Untitled Piano and Synthesizers
 LL 95  Modern Mandolin Quartet  Modern Mandolin Quartet  Ensemble

The first 50 albums all have a special status to me. The music has been a part of my life since I was a young teen — through high-school, college, marriage, vacations, commutes, kids, in short my whole life. The next 50 is much more a territory of discovery for me – and yet there are many or so includes some incredible gems. Some I bought when new (I would always pick up a Michael Hedges, William Ackerman, George Winston or Liz Story). Some of my other favorites, like Philip Aaberg, and Alex De Grassi, I came to later.

From 1986 through the early 1990’s, Windham Hill defined a new genre and sold millions of albums. On A&M Records, Windham Hill continued to flourish for many years, until William Ackerman became less involved in the label he founded and built by hand. Currently, Sony Legacy appears to have the rights to much of the Windham Hill catalog, but no longer maintains an independent site for fans.

Early releases used the numbering system “WHS C-10XX” . This system lasted for at least the first 20 albums. With A&M Records distribution, the system changed to WH-10XX. Three of the original albums were not re-issued.

Want more info? Just ask a question in the “comments” field below. Also, if you were a Windham Hill artist, staff member or were in studio I would love to hear from you.

In addition to the Windham Hill labelled imprints, there were related labels, which all have followings: Rabbit Ears, Open Aire, Windham Hill Jazz, Lost Lake Arts, etc.

Because each release was numbered, I’ll admit it appeals to the collector in me to get them all. So I started collecting the rest of the first 100, and simply thought I’d share my passion with you. I began by haunting the vinyl new age bins at my local Amoeba and Rasputin stores in the Bay Area, and have constantly been surprised by the quality of the music on the lesser-known releases. I’ve also enjoyed the thrill of finding a hard-to-get release  – like the signed Robbie Basho “Visions of the Country” WHS C-1005 that I picked up at Rasputin’s in Concord for $1.95.

Windham Hill Discografie

225 Replies to “Windham Hill Records Discography”

  1. Excellent resource. i’d wondered about the “missing numbers” in the listings of releases on early windham hill albums. would be nice if the odd ones (basho, linda waterfall, kidd afrika) got rereleased sometime, perhaps by the artists themselves.

    1. I love Windham Hill, just looked up
      See ended 2007. So many albums
      Fantastic music – Musicians!
      Thankyou!!!!!!

      Question: I wish when originsl albums converted to cd, that song order hadn’t been changed! WHY do they do that
      The Artist’s original order of their songs
      Should be left alone! Have Liz Story
      Unaccountable Affects, that I have on original cd, and when I later got the cd
      The song order was all changed, really
      Ruins the organic feel ! I actually re-
      Recorded to the original order.
      Joni Mitchell’s, For The Rose’s, is just one of another! Wow!

      Thank You Everyone! Blessings!

  2. Thanks! It was the “missing” early albums that got me started on this project. I had always wondered over the years why some were skipped.

    Of course the real crime is that many of the core Windham Hill albums are not in print, or available digitally. Try buying “Turning: Turning Back.”

    The interest I’ve seen from other Windham Hill fans makes me wonder about the viability of re-issuing a series of the original Windham Hill albums on audiophile vinyl and CD pressings. Many of the original albums were mastered by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs. I like what Music Matters did with their Blue Note series, or the Classic Records reissues. Chime in via comments if this is something you’d be interested in.

    Regarding the “lost” releases: Linda Waterfall has said she’d love to see Mary’s Garden re-released. I’m not sure who owns the rights to it, presumably she does, but it could be Will Ackerman. In the meantime, vinyl sales sites will be the only place to get it. I’ve traded emails with her, and she has promised to provide more information on the album and her experiences recording it.

    Kidd Afrika on the other hand has made the album available through Rhapsody and other digital sites, and it’s a really fun album. Nothing like the other Windham Hill releases. There’s a link to the Rhapsody site on the Kidd Afrika page.

    Basho’s Visions of the Country is a brilliant album, and very compelling, although it took me a few listens to wrap my head around Basho’s vocals. He has quite a passionate following, and I’m really surprised that the album wasn’t re-issued as a Lost Lake Arts album, or otherwise re-released over the years.

    There are also a few later catalog numbers that are as yet unexplained. I hope to research and find out more about those.

    1. I’ve been a Windham Hill fan since I first heard George Winston back in the 80’s. I’ve recently gotten back into vinyl and was able to listen to the amazingly well recorded albums from George Winston and Nightnoise for the first time in about 20 years! I would absolutely love to see this entire cataloged released on vinyl and would be first in line to stock up on some of the albums I’m missing.

      1. I had purchased a few WH LP’s from the Local Target while in grad school down in Houston 85′-89. I would take them fresh from the sleeve, run a felt duster over it and Sprayed it with Radio Shack LP spray. No pops, no clicks right onto chrome Maxell cassettes. They still play awesomely . Playing the LP’s now as I write, they have been in storage for over 15yrs due to divorce. They play like new. I’m wondering if the RS spray was simple Silicone and may have helped to perserve? . I have taken now to recording for my pleasure only the LP’s onto HiFi VHS. Way better than my AKAI 747 R to R deck. What comes off the LP is duplicated onto the tape. Analog LIVES!!

        1. I wonder if you have any information on the unreleased titles. Also, I wonder why most of these titles haven’t been released into Apple Music or some similar streaming service. Thanks for the list!

  3. Your list seems to be mssing WH-1042: Ira Stein & Russel Walder – Transit (see: http://www.discogs.com/Ira-Stein-Russel-Walder-Transit/release/762846). released in 1986. I don’t like it nearly as well as Elements, their first release, but it’s still a worthwhile album.

    Some additional Lost Lake Arts releases:

    LL-85 Shadowfax – Watercourse Way
    LL-86 Scott Cossu – Still Moments
    LL-87 John Renbourn – The Lady and the Unicorn
    LL-88 Pierre Bensusan – Early Pierre Bensusan

    LL-91 Paul Horn – Sketches: A Collection
    LL-93 Puck Fair – Fair Play
    LL-94 Tim Story – Untitled
    LL-95 Modern Mandolin Quartet – Modern Mandolin Quartet

    I hope this helps

    1. Holy Cow! Transit is one of my favorite albums – I know it won’t be universally appreciated – but I’ve always loved Transit. I can’t believe that I missed it. Thanks also for the Lost Lake releases. I’ve never collected them, so I’m less familiar with those. I’ll add them in over the next few days.

      Caitlyn, I appreciate your comments! Make sure to sign up for the RSS updates of the Facebook and comment as you see fit.

      Best,

      John

  4. Hi John- I came to your site from your link on AudioEvo.org and have to say that I’m very impressed with your work here. I guess I grew up in a cave because all of this is new to me. But I’m going to see if I can find one of the Alex de Grassi pressings from Windham Hill. Thanks for turning me on to this resource.

    Jon Brink
    AudioEvo.org/jbrink

  5. John,
    Nice site you have here. I have been compiling a list of the Windham Hill family for years now and collecting the music. I would be glad to forward a copy of the list. Also, I have started to scan the album artwork. I have CD/LP copies up to 01934-11381-2 – Thanksgiving – A Windham Hill Collection – Various Artists [1998] as well as the WH Jazz, Lost Lake Arts, Open Aire, Dancing Cat, Magenta, and Rabbit Ears labels. Still on the hunt to add to the collection and the list.

    Dan

    1. Thanks, Dan! Good to have you join in. I’ve collected a number of the CD’s as well as I found them used, but never made a concerted effort to grab those. I did just add the entire LaserDisc series to my collection thanks to an eBay seller. Did everything come out in CD? Also, if you have better scans of the artwork than I do, please let me know, I’d be happy to give the best possible images.

    2. Dan, I did email to Windham Hill Album Discography
      By Patrice Eyries, Dave Edwards, & Mike Callahan
      That they were missing: WH 1071, Fred Simon, Usually/Always, 1988. I hope they add it in.

  6. Hi, John,

    It’s a pity you haven’t gotten around to collecting the Lost Lake Arts releases yet. It’s a very small number of albums and there are some real gems in there, including some of my all time favorites. Most are reissues or earlier albums by Windham Hill artists while a couple are original material, including “Fair Play” by Puck Fair, which I highly recommend. If you like Nightnoise it’s three of the musicians who either were or later would be part of that group. The sound is more Celtic than Nightnoise and the album is truly outstanding.

    I also rate Tim Story’s “Untitled” (originally released on the great Uniton label) and Scott Cossu’s “Still Moments”. I prefer Passport Records original mix of “Watercourse Way” by Shadowfax. The Windham Hill/LLA version was notoriously toned down to better fit the Windham Hill sound. John Renbourn’s “The Lady And The Unicorn” is also a classic, a mix of instrumental folk and renaissance music.

    Anyway, you’ve done a great job documenting the early and best years of Windham Hill here. It’s much appreciated.

    All the best,
    Cait

  7. This is a great site! Bravo to you for putting it together. I myself started hunting down WH after hearing M. Hedges aerial boundries on an AM new age station in San Francisco in 1986. I found most of the early samplers in thrift stores but after working at Amoeba records in LA a few years ago, the collection became a lot more fleshed out. I think the amazingly strict numbering system really appealed to ‘completist’ in me. I also got the laser discs but recently sold them after transfering them to Dvd. Not really an audiophile by nature (and wishing to shed a few hundred pounds of vinyl!) I’ve been digitizing everything album by album, transfering all my WH to (gasp!) Mp3. Please don’t hate me! I really do love this music! I figure with other people preserving WH as it deserves, I should worry too much.

    Incidentally can any one identify these albums?
    Open Air – OA-0307
    WH Jazz – WD-0137
    WH Jazz – WD-0138
    WH Jazz – WD-0139
    WH Jazz – WD-0140
    WH Jazz – WD-0145

    Thanks.

  8. Open Aire – AO 307 – The Nylons – The Nylons [1982] (not 100% sure on this)
    WH Jazz – WD-0137 – ????
    WH Jazz – WD-0138 – Blues & More Vol, 1 – Henry Butler [1992]
    WH Jazz – WD-0139 – Down the Road – Andy Narell [1992]
    WH Jazz – WD-0140 – Premonition – Paul McCandless []
    WH Jazz – WD-0145 – A Change of Heart – John Beasley [1993]

    Dan

  9. I have a pretty extensive listing that I’ve been compiling for several years in Word format. Also about 1/2 of that listing in MS Access database format if anyone wants a copy. This started with the listing on http://www.bsnpubs.com/aandm/windhamhill.html. When I saw that site I realized that a piece of history was fading away and began to research and collect in earnest. I have every recording up to about 1998 with several in hand after that. Alas, the releases became so much repackaging as the label attempted to milk every last ounce of blood from a dying genre and I realized that the talent had moved on and there would be no more music like the early years.

    Dan

    1. Wow, Dan. You’re pretty dedicated. Since I’ve done the site, I’ve realized it’s really the first 50 that are meaningful to me. Of course, there are some later gems like Mark Isham’s “Tibet” and the later Hedges releases. I’ve also purchased several albums from the artists on other labels. Philip Aaberg, Liz Story, Ira Stein and Russel Walder have all put out amazing albums on other labels.

      1. Marwatso,

        As much as I would like to claim ownership of the BNS listing (and John’s site here), I can’t. Except I did send an updated list to the BNS website and they updated their list from mine. I filled a lot of holes in for them.

    2. Dan, John Edwards here, I would love a copy of your list. I have quite an extensive collection of Windham Hill but I am probably missing something and would love to complete my complete collection. Thanking you in advance for your help.

  10. I really enjoy this website. Some of the windham people I have seen over the years and conversed with are true artists. I have fond memories of most of Windham Hill music, and own most of it except for a few of the later releases. This kind of music seems lost for the most part, I wish this label still existed, it was a lifeline to me……

    1. Thanks for the great comments, Jerry. Of course most of the artists are still performing and recording in one way or another. I think that’s what’s missing is a well-curated collection – one where you know that the level of taste will be there regardless of the exact form of the music. Ackerman was a master at that, and I think that the first 50 records stand with Blue Note, and maybe ECM as one of the greatest highly-curated collections of music of the 20th century.

      For something in between Windham Hill and ECM, look at MA Recordings, curated by Todd Garfinkle. Great music and beautifully recorded. http://www.marecordings.com

  11. AWESOME!!!!!! Great work Dan. I am a long time Windham Hill Collector. I would be more than happy to help/share any information that you may need. Although, it looks like you have a good handle on everything.

    I have every LP and CD released on Windham Hill, Lost Lake Arts & Dancing Cat. I have many promotional items from the 80’s/90’s as I was in contact with the PR person there for years. I stopped collecting a couple years after Will left the company though. I still keep track of my favorite artists.

    I was actually listening to my copy of Robbie Basho’s Vision of the Country this morning and thought to look at see what people were asking for it these days. That is how I found your blog. I immediately went all smiles and today is my birthday. Thanks for the unintended birthday present Dan!

    The biggest question I have been trying to answer and purchase is the last remaining releases that went to LP. I have Phil Aaberg, Upright, Pierce Pettis, While The Serpent Lies Sleeping, and even George Winston’s Summer on LP. Do you know of any others that go put to vinyl this late?? I would cry if I found Taproot on vinyl. 🙂

    1. Marwatso, This is John Edwards, I would love a copy of your Windham Hill list if possible. I have an extensive collection of W/H music but I could possibly be missing something and want to make my collection complete. Thanking you in advance for your help.

  12. Hey everybody! I am looking for a complete list of the DMM Vinyl Releases for Windham Hill. I have several already and they are very impressive acoustically.

    Dan’s the man.

  13. Hey marwatso,

    Glad you like the site! This is John – the creator of the site. Thanks so much for the posting. I’ve never seen a DMM pressing – or at least one that’s indicated as such, but would love to. Starting google….

  14. Well, I got so excited upon finding Windhaming, I confused Dan for the brilliant creator of this site, John. I’m sure Dan’s still the man. But John’s Da Bomb! 🙂 Sorry about that John.

    I read your bio at the beginning. I think we might be the same person. 🙂 …really.

    Hey, I’ll give you $4.00 for that signed Robbie Basho. You’ll have doubled your money. 🙂 🙂 🙂 That is an incredible album. One of my top ten across any genre.

    I too have frequented the bay area stores as well and many others across the country trying to complete the entire label on Vinyl. This for me means getting everything on WH and WHS-C and C-. Although I am not sure if the C-10XX numbers are a phase out of the WHS-C’s anyway.

    I have everything on CD already, because like you I was in high school from 89-92, collecting everything as it was released. In long boxes no less! Dang, I should have never thrown those away. 🙂

    I also am in continuing pursuit of earlier and earlier versions of WHS-C-1001. I think I have the original hand pressed. (with the funky label of a tree and fence) But I’ve thought that twice before. Woman She Rides is great!!! Will should have kept singing and let Basho do the same!!! It would have been a folk revolution! Actually…I think it was anyway. 🙂

    Do you have any specifics about the earliest version of WHS-C-1001?

    Thanks again for doing this John.

    1. I have to correct this. I do actually have what I believe to be the first “Turtle’s Navel” The one Will was toting around to radio stations – according to legend. 🙂 The jacket is cardboard with paper covers glued on. The back is just text, no graphics. The labels are in a funky font with a green turtle design that is unique to each side. Side One label and the back of the jacket have a rubber stamp that says P 1975 William Ackerman. Does anyone know if this is indeed the legendary first record?

      The one I have has Aimee’s written on the bottom right of the front jacket.

      So, John, Dan or anybody else: Do you know how many of this record were produced?

      1. There are a few pictures of some of the early, alternate printings of Turtle’s Navel. There are a few shots on the listing that another reader gave me of his collection. I sure wish I knew better, but send us a shot and I’ll post your version as well.

  15. DMM Release list I have (from a Vinyl Sleeve):

    I call dibbs! 🙂

    TA-C-1012 – George Winston – Autumn
    TA-C-1014 – William Ackerman – Passage
    TA-C-1016 – Scott Cossu – Wind Dance
    TA-C-1018 – Alex de Grassi – Clockwork
    TA-C-1019 – George Winston – Winter Into Spring
    TA-C-1020 – Ira Stein/Russel Walder – Elements
    TA-C-1021 – Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie – Tideline
    TA-C-1022 – Shadowfax – Shadowfax
    TA-C-1023 – Liz Story – Solid Colors
    TA-C-1024 – Windham Hill Records Sampler ’82
    TA-C-1025 – George Winston – December
    TA-C-1026 – An Evening With Windham Hill Live
    TA-C-1027 – Mark Isham – Vapor Drawings
    TA-C-1029 – Shadowfax – Shadowdance
    TA-C-1030 – Alex de Grassi – Southern Exposure

    Can anybody fill in? I regard these pressings as noticeably better than any Windham Hill regular release. FYI – I regard the WHS-C pressing to be of better audio quality than the WH releases.

    Windham Hill also did “Audiophile” quality versions of their releases. I have found two and also call dibbs on everything else out there. 🙂 I have seen one Aerial Boundaries on Ebay for this. Sadly I did not bid enough. 🙁

    I have WHS A-C1006 and WHS A-C1021. They are also superior in audio quality than the other releases.

  16. Excellent data – except now I must chase some of these DMM releases down. I regard the “standard” releases as outstanding audiophile LPs. I would agree that at least in theory the C-10XX should sound better than the A&M releases because they could be using earlier stampers. In practice, it’s less clear, at least for the few where I’ve done head to head comparisons. Additionally, RTI was still doing most of the A&M era releases, so they likely would have been creating their stampers in the same way as the original pressings. Also, I’ve never seen the A-C1006 numbering – what did the “A” designate?

    1. My comparisons between the WHS-C-10XX and the WH-10XX have shown only modest gains in quality. But, it is noticeable, if I have two good copies that is. It’s nothing like a DMM or an WHS-A-C-10XX though. That is clearly brighter and richer.

      The A designated “Audiophile Edition”. The jackets are identical to the WHS-C10XX catalog releases. There is one small sticker at the top right of the front of the jacket that has the WHS-A-C10XX number and the words audiophile edition below. The record labels have an off-white or tan tone with burgundy ink, and an all cap bright red “audiophile edition” in the center. The label also shows the WHS-A-C10XX.

      Don’t buy them all, I’m still looking. 🙂

      1. Finally found a DMM copy. In this case it was “Tideline”. I paid all of a dollar in the clearance bin at the Amoeba in San Francisco, today. Yes, it clearly sounds different than the regular issue. A lot more high-frequency information, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the naturalness it brought to the violin in particular was really impressive.

  17. Thanks for the great resource! I’ve been collecting Windham Hill music in various formats since I worked at Sam Goody’s in Stamford CT in 1982-83. I discovered the Windham Hill Sampler ’81 in a large stack of promo records (mostly pop) and the album cover drew me in. I managed the audio department at the back of the store, next to the glassed-in classical room. Once I started to play the WHS ’81 in the back of the store, nearly everyone that ventured back to the classical and jazz sections wanted to know what it was. Needless to say, our sales of Windham Hill releases increased every week and we just couldn’t keep them in stock.
    A few years later I was living in Denver and a good friend was a cameraman at the local Boulder public television station and filmed the Darol Anger, Barbara Higbie and Alex De Grassi concert. Not only did I get to attend the show, but met them all and watched the video of the show with them afterward.
    I agree that the first 50 releases will always be the “Golden Age” of Windham Hill, and I listen to those much more that the ones that followed. Despite the downward spiral of the label, that music has and always will be magical for me and a part of my listening life.

  18. Thank you so much for sharing the information in this form.

    I had often wondered at the “missing numbers” – even “missing” on the plastic sleeve liner lists for the Windham Hill vinyl releases.

    When filling in “gaps” I have found the vinyl to be typically in excellent condition – Windham Hill listeners are clearly ones who handle such fine records with particular care.

    I don’t have any of the Windham Hill laser discs but I did find a couple of Windham Hill DVDs – I assume there were VHS tapes too at some point?

    I also have picked up some Windham Hill casettes over the years – often for just a few cents.

    I will try and spreadsheet all this at some point and I will happily share it with you.

    Sincere best wishes,

    Steve

  19. I heard some really spiritual bagpipe music awhile back, something like Windham Hill would do. (It’s not Amazing Grace). If anyone would have any idea about who could have done something like this, etc., let me know!

  20. I noticed your list now stops at WH-1106. Well… WH-1107 is George Winston – Summer and was released on LP, CD, and cassette. I believe that is where the WH series ends. After that BMG took over and lots of things changed.

  21. I’ve been told that WD-1052, one of the three missing releases from 1986-87, was “Fair Play” by Puck Fair. For reasons unknown it was released on Lost Lake Arts instead. That would solve one of the mystery numbers if it’s true.

    I still have no clue at all about the other two lost releases.

  22. I’ve said this elsewhere on the site, but here I will say again what a fantastic resource you have created for Windham Hill fans. Thanks! (My posting this also has the second purpose of getting me on the list so I’m notified when people post follow-up comments on this page.)

  23. Great site! I am a WH fan from ~1981 when I first heard Autumn playing in the Rizzoli bookshop in Water Tower Place, Chicago. Did some listening back then, but never fully explored the label. When I dove back into vinyl about a year ago, have been buying up a lot of the “first 50” and really broadening my love of this music. Your next one to review, Southern Exposure, is one of my favorites – as are all of the Michael Hedges albums, Shadowfax, Liz Story and William Ackerman. I got to meet George Winston a few years back when he came to play at our hospital’s cancer center between concerts here in town – a very quiet, introspective, nice man. I really enjoyed reading some of your reviews today and will come back often to see what’s new! -J Smith, Des Moines, IA

  24. Dear Sir,
    I have been looking fo a cd by windham Hill Called In Search of Angels There aer various artist such as Tim Story, Jane Siberry, etc. but the song on the album is Star in the east By the ST. Olaf Choir. The CD was Manufactured and distributed by BMG MUSIC 01934 11153-2.
    can you help me find this album? It would mean so much to me.
    [email protected] Thank you so much

  25. Hello, I have opened a music group in Facebook featuring the music of Windham Hill Artists among others. I have found today this webpage that is so interesting. I am a music lover and as you I want this music not to be forgotten.
    I have some CDs of the label, two DVDs “Winter” and “Autumn” and a vinyl of W.A. Mathieu “Available Light” bought in Ebay because i could not find the CD version.
    Let me suggest you to search in http://www.gemm.com which is a website for collectors and people who sell and buy out of catalogue music.
    If you have a FB profile i invite you to join this group and help me to fill the collection.
    Regards
    Antonio, Buenos Aires, Argentina

  26. Windham Hill released a cassette with piano and cello. It was a wonderful album, but I cannot find the name so I could search for it. Do you happen to know the names of albums with solo cellos or cellos with piano?

    1. I wonder if you mean Darol Anger and Barbra Higbie’s Tideline, which was for piano and violin. I’m not aware of an entire album with piano and cello, at least not from the first 106 releases, which is all I track.

      1. He has to mean Scott Cossu & Eugene Friesen’s “Reunion” – WH-1049 released in 1986. Every song has cello and piano. Gwenlaise is the most beautiful piano and cello duet I have ever heard.

        1. My son was a 12 when we saw them perform . We bought the album and now I wish I could get the sheet music for my two granddaughters. One plays piano and the other cello. They love Gwenlaise. So beautiful.

      1. I am totally with you. I picked up “New Friend” for a dollar on vinyl a few months back and it’s been on heavy rotation ever since – I just played it again yesterday and truly wonder how I never heard of it until very recently.

  27. First, I agree with the recommendations for “Reunion,” which is probably my favorite Scott Cossu album. Eugene Friesen and Paul Halley are best known for their work with the Paul Winter Consort, a group whose work will probably appeal to a lot of people who like Windham Hill music. In the U.S. “New Friend” is on Living Music, a label started by Paul Winter and eventually bought by Windham Hill, so there most definitely is a Windham Hill Connection. Both labels later ended up under the BMG umbrella. Unlike Windham Hill, there are still new releases on Living Music.

    For fans of WIndham Hill who are curious about Paul Winter I’d recommend starting with a Grammy Award nominated album called “Canyon” from 1985, mostly recorded in the Grand Canyon. Both Eugene Friesen and Paul Halley play on this album. Other great choices would be “Spanish Angel”, a Grammy Award winning live album from 1994 and “Sun Singer” (1983). People who know Paul Winter will immediately wonder why I don’t mention “Icarus” from 1972. It’s a great album but it predates both Halley and Friesen joining the Winter Consort (the name of the group at the time). David Darling plays cello on that album.

    Anyway, it’s all great stuff. I look forward to Johnny’s reviews getting to “Reunion” 🙂

  28. Okay – I collect Windham Hill things just because I liked their approach to music. I also found that those who OWNED Windham Hill material tended to take better CARE of their media (they also, in all likelihood, have better gear and take care of THAT better as well).

    I have a somewhat odd duck on a Windham Hill Cassette (MCT-001) – William Ackerman “Balancing” – subtitled “music for meditation” – it carries a 1980 Copyright (Windham Hill Records) and is generally okay (if slow-moving), but what attracted me was the cover photo (by Ron May) and the fact that I had NEVER heard of it (and had not seen it on any list).

    So what have I got here? Something very rare that would be worth sharing with friends and other collectors? It was $.49 at a Goodwill here in Phoenix. I also have a DMM of Liz Story’s SOLID COLORS which came from a different Goodwill some time ago for $.99. May you all find such wonderful treasures at such bargain prices.

    I apologize if this is a repost. I may have posted it once, but it did not show up.

    1. Hello! Regarding the William Ackerman cassette; it sounds like you have a cassette-single. Balancing is the second track from the album “It Takes A Year”. Though it is rare, cassettes don’t usually command a price of more than a couple dollars. Many sellers do charge a premium for some of the earlier Windham Hill CDs – anywhere from 30.00 to 120.00 each.

      The Solid Colors DMM is a nice find. If in NM condition the record is worth about 15.00. The most collectible LPs from Windham Hill are the “audiophile” editions of the LPs. Though some are considered quite rare. For example, I just paid 91.00 on eBay for a still sealed Windham Hill 1010 – Robbie Basho – Visions of the Country.

      Thanks for sharing your find, I was not aware of this particular single.

      1. It’s not a single – It’s a full album. Here are the track listings:

        Side 1:
        Balancing
        Sunday Rain
        Birdsong
        Ely
        It Takes A Year

        Side 2:
        Bricklayer’s Beautiful Daughter
        Processional
        Barbara’s Song
        The Impending Death of the Virgin Spirit

        These may correspond to another album, or this may be simply a re-labeled work or compilation of some of his other stuff simply for the sake of marketing. It does have a fairly early copyright date, though, for a compilation.

        I’m not interested in selling it – I’m a collector – but was more interested in learning if this stuff was known or not, and if anyone would want to have a listen.

        FWIW

  29. I’ve scoured the discography and have found that these tunes all appear on other albums. They are drawn from “Turtle’s Navel,” “It Takes a Year,” and “Childhood and Memories.” I’d call it a compilation.

    Mystery Solved. It’s out there. Curious about the numbering, though – were there more in the MCT-xxx series…..

  30. Ah, a full album. You got me on the origin. I’ve never seen a cassette like that. Perhaps another Pastels release (German Windham Hill outlet from the early eighties). It should be noted that “Birdsong” is only available on a Pastels vinyl release of the same name. Does your research concur? Can you describe the cover photo?

  31. Working on getting a picture of the album cover. It’s on a cassette, so it’s small. But check this – Google does not HAVE an image for this cover that I can use. It’s just not there.

    So I’m working on that.

    While way out in the sticks (actually brush) of Arizona, I went to a thrift store and scored an audiophile pressing of George Winston’s AUTUMN (among other things) for a buck.

  32. Nice find on the George Winston Audiophile Edition. There’s one on Ebay for 24.99 right now. 🙂 The picture/cover seems vaguely familiar but not enough for me to place it. Thanks for sharing!

      1. No vocals on any of the album. I’m trying to figure out how to share the cassette without causing trouble with Mr. Ackerman. I wish there was a way to do this for his fans.

        Birdsong is like the rest of the album – very soft and comforting; in the oevre of Windham Hill, the opposite would be Shadowfax Shadowdance (just for reference).

  33. Rip it and share it. It’s not like you’ll taking away sales from anyone. Will sold Windham Hill (guaranteeing its demise) and the label became a shell of its former glory, simply repackaging the music until all the lame ideas were exhausted. It no longer exists and when we are gone, I don’t know who will keep the memory alive. I stopped my collection around the the mid 90’s since everything released after that, I already owned. I’ve never seen this cassette and would love to hear what’s on it. I love Will’s work, his music and production.

    BTW, does anyone have a Windham Hill “Tune In” transistor radio? I have one . . .

    1. Once I have the tune ripped, where I do I post it? Is there some sort of “hosting site” (e.g. photobucket) for songs? I don’t have a website or anything.

      1. Remember MegaUpload, the site the FBI shut down? It was such a site. Lots of them have been shut down because ripping and sharing copyrighted material is illegal. It’s called piracy.

      2. I’m no expert at this, but it seems like the best and most legal way is to turn the image into a video and post it to YouTube. Just put a copy of the album cover as the image part. That way a record company can add a link to iTunes or other in order to monetize their content, and YouTube worries about the licensing. If you just post it to Soundcloud or another hosting service, then you might be responsible for the rights.

        Best,

        Johnny

      3. This was my ethical dilemma from the start. An image is one thing – it’s just packaging. The actual material is another issue altogether. It’s not worth getting fined or going to jail for.

    2. What insanely bad advice! Ripping and sharing copyrighted material is called piracy. Sony, who own the current rights, can and may very well go after people who do this.

      All of William Ackerman’s music is readily available legally. Support the artists and get your music that way.

      1. You’re right, Caitlyn. So tell, where can I buy this album? That’s the first time I ever saw it, and I’ve been collecting WH since 1984. But, I’m sure you can offer advice on where to purchase it. BTW, I own most of the WH catalog, including videos, laser discs, and memorabilia, all paid for. I don’t pirate. Most of what I own however, I bought used. Sony didn’t make a nickel on it. So, if there is only one copy left, do we let it die so Sony doesn’t get cheated? Or do you just think we going to sell copies on pirate sites? Tell me . . .

      1. Turtle Island String Quartet’s first album was WINDHAM HILL JAZZ #WH-0110.
        All their early releases were also on the Windham Hill Jazz imprint, although their
        ’95 release “By The Fireside” was a “crossover” title, as both its catalogue
        number (#1175) and logo correspond to the parent label…..this brings up an
        interesting point, because beginning in the mid-90’s, the the line between “WINDHAM HILL” and “WINDHAM HILL JAZZ” becomes increasingly blurry. Several artists from the jazz label produced albums on the parent label (Andy Narell, Ray Obiedo, etc) at this time. And to further confuse things, beginning in ’96 or ’97, most, if not all “WINDHAM HILL JAZZ” releases bore catalogue numbers corresponding to the main sequence of the parent label (i.e., #1934-11xxx, instead of #1934-10xxx).

  34. Hello, awesome list. I’ll have to listen to some of it. I love instrumental music. I heard a piece of music called Harp Strey. I was told the artist is “Windham Hill Collection”. However, I haven’t been able to find it. Is anyone familiar with the song? It has only a few instruments. Its nice and pensive, among other things. I’d be happy to supply more information.

  35. I have a tough one. I used to own a laserdisc in the 80’s that had Windham Hill artists on it. The disc was a winter setting. There were scenes of a river at the beginning, a train, and also a cabin in the woods. I have been looking for it for a long time in audio format or at least a list of songs so I can find the artists. I has one song on it that has a lot of memories tied to it. Would love to find it but have not been able to. If anybody knows of this laserdisc it would be great to know if any of the songs are available.

      1. Glad to see someone mentioning the Windham Hill video releases…..the titles that I know of are : “AUTUMN PORTRAIT” (1985), “WATER’S PATH” (1985),
        “WESTERN LIGHT”, “WINTER”, “SEASONS”, “CHINA”, and “TIBET”. There is
        also the infamous “Windham Hill In Concert” film (infamous because the bulk of the footage was actually recorded on a studio sound-stage, and interspersed with “crowd scenes” and ovation from a 1986 show at Wolf Trap). The only other
        video titles I know of are “George Winston – Seasons in Concert” and “Solace”, although Solace contains a lot of excerpts from the original ’80’s releases (as well
        as short interview footage with most of the artists).
        ……I think there is also a Liz Story in Concert video…..anyone know for sure ?

      2. Yes, Liz Story – Solid Colours was made into DVD by Quantum Leap. It is from an old video, but it is great to see and hear her play.

        Still for sale on Amazon:
        http://www.amazon.com/Solid-Colours-Liz-Story/dp/B000EQHXPK

        By-the-way, some of the concert footage from Windham Hill In Concert is from Colorado’s Red Rocks.

        There are also VHS copies of “An Artists Portrait” of Michael Hedges and Michael Manring. Both are FANTASTIC but I have yet to find them converted to DVD.

        There is a PBS release featuring Philip Aaberg called “11th & Grant with Eric Funk” on DVD,

        There is a DVD called the “Six-String Workshop” with Alex DeGrassi. It is an educational video.

        That’s all I know of.

        Mark

  36. Hello friends Windham Hills, i am a regular listener of some artists and composers of this house
    pity that here in Brazil , we do not have accaes to every work.
    Happiness and succses.

  37. Don’t know if anyone else has mentioned this, but looking through the discography, I noticed that the listing for Paul McCandless “Hearsay” is reversed…artist on the right, title on the left.

  38. Not sure where else to ask this question, but “When did Windham Hill officially cease to exist ?”
    I recently picked up two George Winston albums, (“GULF COAST BLUES, VOL. II”, and
    “LOVE WILL COME, Music of Vince Guaraldi, Vol. II”)….and noticed that NEITHER of them
    bear the Windham Hill label. (They are on Dancing Cat, which I know is Winston’s own label……although he has previously always put his solo albums on the Windham Hill label, despite
    owning Dancing Cat for decades)…..also, the catalogue numbers don’t seem to be in sequence anymore.
    I’ve been researching online to make some sense, but from about 2002 on, I can’t seem to
    make heads or tails out of what happened with Windham Hill, even though it seems clear that there have been several legitimate releases, besides the rehash compilations which they seem
    to have put out boatloads of !!

    1. Windham Hill still exists as a subsidiary of Sony/Legacy. Inquiries into the Sony/Legacy legal department have confirmed that they still own Windham Hill and retain all of the rights (unrelated to Windhaming, I heard this from someone who was trying to do business with the label).

      So what are the harbingers of the end? Will Ackerman left is something like 1986. It appears that Dawn Atkinson remained the lead on Windham Hill matters at whatever company owned Windham Hill for another 15 years or so. Her name popped up on the last samplers as recently as 4 years ago (maybe she’s still there.)

      The most recent original artist release that I’ve seen was from the late 90’s (other than Ackerman’s Hearing Voices from 2001 and the George Winston releases). However, Discogs could probably answer this question with a little more research (strangely, sorting by year yields an Angelo Badalamente soundtrack released in Russia on the Windham Hill label in 2011… if you find out definitively, let us know.)

      In the end, there is a reason I chose the scope of this site to be the albums released on vinyl. First, I love everything in the first 30 releases. Secondly, I love most albums in the first next 20. Releases 50-100 get a little uneven for me. You have absolute classic albums mixed with some that were good but not groundbreaking, and some that are completely forgettable. After that it’s really mixed and a different label with different artists than the early and mid-80’s releases that made me passionate about the label.

      1. Johnny,

        The site was windham.com as windhamhill.com is owned by Windham Hill Inn. Windham.com redirects to legacyrecordings.com and you used to be able to buy the leftover stock. Windhamhillrecordings.com was never used as far as I can remember. Anyone know how to contact Dawn Atkinson so we can clear this up?

        Dan

        1. You’re completely right about the URL. I’ve edited my original post to remove my error so it doesn’t get repeated.

          Regarding their Not sure what there is to clear up, Dan. Sony Legacy has the rights to the label, and are uninterested in promoting it, apparently. If you’re interested in the artists who made the label great, I would put my energy into following and promoting the great work being done by Will Ackerman at Imaginary Roads. However, I’ll PM you the one contact I have for WH.

      2. I share your sentiments regarding Windham Hill in the late 80’s to an extent,
        although I didn’t actually discover the label until late ’88, so some of those releases were some of the first ones I acquired. It seems that Ackerman realized
        early on that the strength of the label came from the fans who were wiling to buy
        every release, so in a sense it really was truly a “Collectors Label”, much in the
        same way that labels like ECM had been in the past. So it seems that great care
        and attention was put in to making sure that new artists and releases would “fit” into the label as a whole; this phenomenon translated especially with the “Samplers”, so that every track would fit and flow together seemlessly. This may be one reason why releases by people like Kidd Afrika and Linda Waterfall were quickly deleted from the catalogue, because they didn’t quite fit with the overall “family” nature of the label (It is hard to imagine a Kidd Afrika song on one of the early Samplers, for instance).
        So later, when a broader spectrum of artists and style was again brought it, it challenged our notions of what was “right” for the label, especially since we as fans were committed to buying every release. I know for myself this first happened with the “folk” period in ’89, with the stuff by John Gorka, Pierce Pettis, etc. Although I bought the “Legacy” sampler, I didn’t buy any of the other “vocal” releases in the late 80’s…..it was the first time I violated my committment to buying everything !

  39. Agreed, Johnny. My “Imaginary Roads” grouping in my iTunes library contains 1010 songs. I’ve bought everything Will has produced and even some of the artist’s earlier work. I have followed Will’s work very closely for a long time now.

  40. For anyone interested in Linda Waterfall’s “Mary’s Garden,” she appears to be selling vinyl copies on her website. Link to the order form where it’s listed: http://lindawaterfall.com/MailOrderForm.html

    On her discography pages, she lists it as “Trout,” which I understand is her own label, so you’d probably get the Trout release, and not the Windham Hill version.

    For those interested in Kidd Afrika, Amazon appears to have “The Windham Hill Record” available via MP3. Yeah, I know.

    http://www.amazon.com/Kidd-Afrika-Windham-Hill-Record/dp/B00129WD6W/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_2_TP7Y

  41. Responding to Caitlyn’s repeated comments about “piracy”. Though ripping and sharing is illegal in some jurisdictions (e.g. US), the fact is that some Windham Hill music is no longer available legally in any shape or form. I refer in particular to WH 1031 – “Nightnoise” by Billy Oskay and Mícheál O’Domhnaill. Given that there is no inventory cost to offering digital downloads, there is no reason why that album should not be readily available via Amazon MP3, iTunes Music Store or wherever. I have just discovered you can listen to it on Spotify, but I can’t find it anywhere else. A real shame!

  42. It’s a brilliant album, one which turns up on the used market often. I found my copy on Discogs IIRC. Also check Gemm, MusicStack,EBay and Amazon. Prices are all over the place but if you’re patient you will find a copy in good shape at a reasonable price. I did and I am a notorious cheapskate when it comes to music.

  43. Caitlyn,
    Thanks for the suggestions (I was unaware of Discogs). However, I already have a copy on vinyl and another on CD. I also have a site about Nightnoise and regularly get queries from people looking to get a copy (admittedly, not a flood :-). It is ridiculous that you can get that album in minutes via BitTorrent or similar, for free (legally or illegally, depending on your jurisdiction) but you can’t purchase it in a way that pays money to the artists.

  44. Years ago I worked for The Musicland Group, and always had several WH albums on our in-store play list. I have recently been looking for an album we used to play that featured the electric harmonica. It was a powerful recording, and would like to find it! Anyone have an idea of what I’m looking for?
    Thanks!

    1. I don’t know of any Windham Hill recordings with electric harmonicas, but I wonder if you’re thinking of the lyricon? Try the two Shadowfax releases, particularly Shadowdance.

      1. The best example of the lyricon is Visiting by Will Ackerman on the Past Light album. Chuck Greenberg was a master on that.

  45. I’ve had the cassette “Balancing” MCT-001 1980 for several years.

    50 cents in a Chicago thrift store

    Will told me it was one of a couple hundred he sold from the trunk of his car,

    just after I found it. This via an email from him..

    Am listening to it right now…

  46. Thank you for this excellent list of Windham Hill’s extraordinary releases. I first discovered them when I found” It Takes a Year’ at Streetlight Records on 24th St. in San Francisco in vinyl LP form. I had no idea what it was but just liked the beautiful tree on the cover. The music turned out to be as great as the cover.

    After that there was a steady accumulation of Windham Hill LP’s, then Tapes, then CD’s. Their releases were always something to look forward to and were a big part of the early 80’s for me. Fortunately I collected most of the early releases on CD because you see them online for big collector’s prices now.

    The great thing is how well they’ve held up. The music is so timeless; I enjoy listening to them now as much as when they were new. Thanks for filling in the blanks too. Like many others here I always wondered about those missing numbers. Does anyone here know why they weren’t released? It’s great to find so many people remembering Windham Hill.

  47. Thanks for this listing. I was turned on to Alex De Grassi around 1982ish and became a huge fan of the label buying most of the same “early 50” LPs. As a college student I made an effort to see these artists. I saw Michael Hedges and Liz Story in concert together in Nashville in 1983, and the next day we saw them walking down the street and gave them a lift back to their hotel! Such a thrilling moment. Others I got to see over the years, Alex De Grassi, Ira Stein and Russel Walder, Montreaux, Malcolm Dalglish, George Winston, Scott Cossu, Shadowfax, Michael Manring, Mark Isham, and of course, Will Akerman. Their music does still stand up for it’s beauty and soul and I still listen to it these many years later.

  48. I’m trying to find info on a Windham Hill Sampler I obtained in 1987.My memory is somewhat vague but I seem to recall it had Spring 1987 on the cover (I had it on cassette.)I wish I could offer more information,but I hoping someone here can help me on this.

    1. There was a 1986 sampler, but not an 1987 that I’m aware of, at least not in the US. Some other countries had different releases, particularly in later years for samplers.

  49. Do you have a CD of Sounds of Wood and Steel Volume #2 with Taylor Willobee by Rodney Crowell on Windham Hill??
    thank you,
    Al

  50. I’ve been looking for a song that I heard on a CD sampler that was issued by Windham Hill sometime in the mid 90’s. The cd did not contain any song titles… only samples of some songs along with a few complete songs. It was not an official Windham Hill Sampler… just a freebee. The first song the cd was Ozzie Kotani’s My Old Guitar (only part of the song) followed by the intro Keola Beamers Polia’hu….The Snow Goddess… There were many other songs on the album…
    The song I’ve been looking for was sung by a Children’s choir accompanied by solo piano. Don’t know the words but it was definitely a Christmas song. That is about as specific as I can get. Any clue where I can find this track?
    Thanks!

  51. Hi! I have been looking for piano sheet music to the song “For the Asking” by John R Burr. It is from the Windham Hill Records Piano Sampler II 1994. I have looked everywhere for it but can only find it on a CD. Can anyone help me with this? Thank you!!

    1. I am also looking for sheet music from the Windham Hill Sampler 2 but it doesn’t seem to exist. If anyone has a source, there would be a growing market for this (there are at least two of us!)

      Thanks,
      Paul

  52. Hi there,

    By incident i landed on this site. To me it’s really an echoe from the past. I started with the frist digital records from Windham Hill, as they were sonically quitte superior to the first CD’s (i.e. Sultans of Swing, Bop till you drop, etc.). Right now i am listening to the Windham Hill Piano Sampler, as a testrecord for my latest home-build Scan Speak Illuminator based mini monitors. In fact i was looking for high-res verslons of Windham Hill records. There should really be a market for these.
    Best regards,
    Martin Deisting

    1. Thanks for the comments, Martin. Yes, Passage was one of the very first digital recordings, and sounded very good for the technology. I do still prefer most analog recordings, but what they did is really amazing. I would guess those Scan Speaks really make the music sing. Regarding High-res versions, I think the vinyl is the highest-res you’ll ever get – both because there is no higher resolution format, and because Sony/Legacy is not paying much attention to Windham Hill these days. However, you should check out high-res issues from Windham Hill artists. For example, you can get recordings of Alex de Grassi from Blue Coast: http://bluecoastrecords.com/store/alex-de-grassi/special-event-19

  53. Theres a cracking “little” chapter on WH in John Stanley – Collecting Vinyl book.

    ” Windham Hill are future collectables , stunning sound and great wall art”

    The books a good read for anybody remotely interestered in record collecting.

  54. Nice site. Just borrowed Winter Solstice III from the library for Christmas ambience. We have most of the George Winston’s and listen to them regularly. Now I will have to see what I don’t have. And then I can try the other artists. I liked the story of the audiophile find in Arizona. It is nice to get some of the history through the comments.

  55. Thanks for documenting this information. We’ve had A Winter’s Solstice (spelled “Soltice” above) for many years, then found Solstice II. Just came upon III in time for opening presents Christmas morning.

  56. great memories. If I hadn’t of had Windham Hill, Steve Dunstan & Christmas Hills in the 80’s I’d of blown my Brains out. Thanks

  57. 1/17/15 I found LP: Windam Hill Jazz: Ben Sidran: Too Hot to Touch under: WH-0108
    LP: WH Jazz: Turtle Island Sting Quartet : WH 0110.
    LP WH Jazz: Tuck and Patti /Tears of Joy (1988) WH-0111
    LP: WH Jazz: Billy Childs : Take for Example This (1988) WH-0113
    LP: WH Jazz: Tuck & Patti:Love Warriors: (1989) WH-0116

    Any missing numbers/names of the albums would be appreciated.

    ALSO: Under the Magenta Label: MA-

    I found 1985/Magenta-0204: w/reference to Windham Hills: Magenta as a division of Windham Hills:

    1. MA-0204: Ben Sidran: On the Cool Side: 1985 Windham Hills Records/A&M/Magenta is
    2. Ma-0206: Ben Sidran: On the Live Side: 1986 Windham Hills/”” Both are piano/etc.

    ALSO: Dancing Cat Label: (George Winston’s label/he produced?)
    Manufactured in cooperation with Windham Hills Records.
    1. George Cromarty: Wind in the Heather : 1984/composition for guitar) :DC-3001
    2. Michael Lorima: Remembranza: 1984: guitar: DC-3002
    3. DC-3003:
    4. Shad Weathersby: Light Outside the Door: DC-3004 (1984)
    5. DC-3005:
    6. DC-3006:
    7. DC 3007: George Winston & Meryl Streep: The Velveteen Rabbit (1985)

    Any missing numbers/names of albums would be appreciated.

    Great site…..

      1. Hi Dan, Thanks for taking a look at the site. Are you the publisher of BSNpubs? For a long time that was one of the very few Windham Hill discographies online. If you have a more complete listing, you might want to update the page you referenced which is missing many LP’s, for example WH-1078, 1080 and 1087. If you’re referring to CD’s, anyone who is interested in those should look to that link or to http://www.discogs.com/label/23112-Windham-Hill-Records for more information, as I focus exclusively on vinyl.

  58. Johnny,
    I don’t own that website. I used it at one time to upgrade my personal list and noted they were missing many entries. I’ve gotten my information from several sources including my own collection.

    1. 1/19/15: Dan: Thanks for the comprehensive list/ I will update my collection and it would appear I am missing more than I thought…appreciate the comments. James Hogan Love, Esq. 79 South Benson Road Fairfield, CT 06824 203-254-2022

      This message is being sent by The Law Office of James Hogan Love, Esq. It is intended exclusively for the individuals and entities to which it is addressed. If you have received a copy of this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by email and delete all copies of this message. This message is protected by applicable legal privileges and is confidential. Unauthorized interception is prohibited by Federal Law.

  59. Thank you for this resource. I discovered Windham Hill when I went to see them at Ravinia in 1988 as a high school graduation present to myself. Mostly, I was hooked on their samplers, but I certainly wore those out.

  60. Add my thanks as well for the work done here to provide a resource for Windham Hills lovers. I’m just starting on the journey but am picking up LPs and CDs anywhere I can. I hope it’s not verboten here 🙂 but does any one know if there is a like resource for the Narada label as well? Specifically Narada Lotus which was actually what brought me to New Age and instrumental music in the first place. Thanks again for a great resource!

  61. John, I just stumbled across your site while doing a Windham Hill discography search. Nice! I’m a long time WH fan, since first discovering Ackerman’s “Passage” LP in a Ft. Smith, AR Sound Warehouse a long time ago. I have many of the early LPs and much of the subsequent CD releases. I currently have my CD player at work stocked with WH releases and have the “An Evening with Windham Hill Live” playing even as I am typing this note. I’m looking forward to digging through your site. Thanks much!

  62. Looking for a vinyl or CD of the soundtrack from the movie “Country” and also looking for leads on Mark Isham’s movie music, especially for “Rules of Engagement” Both are very moving and seem to be completely out of circulation. Anybody have leads?

  63. Slowly but surely building an awesome WH vinyl colllection. It amazes me the quality of the used copies out there, like they’ve never been played. But demand is definately changing. I was recently in Amsterdam and the LPs I found and bought were all $10 or $12 each.

    Anyone reading this in the Toronto area, if you see any LPs in record stores, give me a shout at [email protected]

    1. I couldn’t agree more. I think Will understood the need to use quality vinyl and have excellent pressings to reduce surface noise with these quieter recordings. And yes, it seems that every LP I find appears unplayed, or at the least very well cared for. I’ve only found 3-4 that I wouldn’t buy due to condition. The do sound truly wonderful. Rickover’s Dream on vinyl is a treat for the ears!

  64. I have found exactly 1 (one) unplayable Windham Hill vinyl disc in all my years of searching. While it definitely supports the notion of Will Ackerman using high quality pressings, it also points to the fact that most people who gravitated towards the Windham Hill catalog of material generally took better care of their stuff. That’s my take, and I’m sticking to it.

  65. Agree with you both. So cool to hear from others who really dig the label and value their WH collections. Btw, in additon to recently buying Ackerman’s Passage, Mark Isham’s Vapor Drawings and Shadowfax S/T, I also found Interiors Interior and The Shape of the Land. How rare are those two LPs? Btw, Hot Beach by Interiors is gorgeous!

    1. How rare? I don’t know how many they produced, but it’s a question of supply and demand. In the Bay Area, it’s fairly easy to find WH albums at Amoeba, Rasputin and Reckless Records… but when I travel I find it’s pretty hard to find Windham Hill albums in general. They’re all terrific albums.

      1. Just got back from a book, record and CD sale and found un-opened/CD’s of hard to find stuff…there was alot more Windham Hills Jazz records released then I thought…plugging away on earlier LPS.  Happy hunting and leisurely listening.  James Hogan Love, Esq. 79 South Benson Road Fairfield, CT 06824 203-254-2022

        This message is being sent by The Law Office of James Hogan Love, Esq. It is intended exclusively for the individuals and entities to which it is addressed. If you have received a copy of this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by email and delete all copies of this message. This message is protected by applicable legal privileges and is confidential. Unauthorized interception is prohibited by Federal Law.

  66. Does anyone know which Windham Hill production included a beautiful chorus of some sort sung by a group of Cambodian children? If you do, could you please email me at: [email protected] and tell me where to look for it? Thanks, anyone who’s reading this! Carol

  67. Hi there. I think almost all of the early catalogue is instrumental. Latest one I bought is Liz Story’s Unaccountable Effect. Beautiful.

    1. I presume Linda Waterfall’s “Mary’s Garden” has lyrics as well?

      Robbie Basho’s “Visions of the Country” has vocals.

      1. I see what you’re saying and you’re absolutely right. Other than vocalizations, for lack of a better word the four that have lyrics include: 1) Linda Waterfall – Mary’s Garden 2) Kidd Afrika – Kidd Afrika 3) Robbie Basho – Visions of the Country and 4) Shadowfax – Shadowdance (on the track Brown Rice)

      2. Shadowfax’s Too Far to Whisper also features GE Stinson on vocals (What Goes Around). Once WH started High Street most albums that featured vocals were moved to that imprint. After BMG bought Ackerman’s 50% they started introducing a lot more vocal opportunities. Jim Brickman of course comes to mind here.

  68. Also Robbie Basho – Art of the Acoustic Steel String Guitar 6 & 12 has one vocal track: Pasha II. That makes four out of the first 10 that have vocals.

  69. Hello

    We would like to use a Song from Oystein Sevag + Lakki Patey (Painful Love – prologue) for our Homepage, its an aid organisation for womens in india. Does somebody know, where i can get the rights for this song?

    Warm regards Karin

    1. If the song was originally released on Windham Hill, you’ll need to contact Sony/Legacy. http://hub.sonymusic.com/about/feedback.php

      I hear they’re not very responsive… but I wish you luck.

      If it wasn’t on Windham Hill, then look at the CD or online credits to see what label it was on. We’re just a fan site, so I have some good contacts with former artist, but none with Sony/Legacy.

  70. What about “WILLIAM ACKERMAN, SCOTT CASSU, ALEX DE GRASSI / AN INVITATION TO WINDHAM HILL” on WINDHAM HILL RECORDS #L 43915 ???

    1. This site only covers US releases on vinyl. Looks like “An Invitation” was UK, Australia and New Zealand, but not US. Looks really good, though. If I’m ever feeling ambitious I can start collecting the non-US releases.

    1. Hi Tom, There are different engineers for each recording – check the listing by album. But many of them were recorded by Harn Soper or Steven Miller. Good luck.

  71. Hello, I thought I had the complete collection, but found a couple of albums that I can’t seem to find. The “Occasional” series. I have the (Select Sounds Audio Companion to the Windham Hill Occasional WD 96-34 cd) What are the others especially the “Occasional” album ????

  72. Years ago I had a tape of music that I loved. It was released by Windham Hill and the only song I can remember from it was tubular bells. I have searched to try and find which album it was but I can’t remember any more than that song. The music was a part of me, I would like to rediscover it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    1. Hi Jennifer – I can’t think of any Windham Hill recording that features bells. I wonder if you were thinking of the album Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield? It’s not on Windham Hill, but might be what you are looking for.

    2. The final cut on A Winter’s Solstice features bells and, I think, tubular bells. It is called: A Tale Of Two Cities, by Mark Isham.
      It is a beautiful piece with trumpet and other horns, as well as the bells.

    1. Hi Rod, Sony Legacy owns and distributes Windham Hill as far as I can tell. You can buy Windham Hill discs, new and used, all over. You might try purchasing directly from the artists’ sites, or check the usual music outlets like your local record store or online seller. I like Valley Entertainment, Adventure Music, in addition to the artists’ sites.

  73. Pingback: Just Charlie
  74. I found a lot of them on eBay over the years, including “Turning, Turning Back”. I paid $25 for it but I have seen it go for over $60.

    Like the author of this site, I bought a lot of my originals as a teen and filled in the blanks using eBay. Keep in mind that not all of them were released on CD ever, and some of the CDs were released in the early 90s, but not by Wyndham Hill.

  75. Hello. I was wondering why “Reflections” by Ray Obiedo so short? The only clip I can find is for 0:48. Is it part of a longer piece? I can’t find it. Also, the reason I know about it is that NPR used it as a “bumper” between segments. I was transfixed by it and tried to find it. All that seems to exist is 0:48, and then it fades out. Please help.

  76. I had the opportunity to buy a japaneese CD “Piano Solo” “Liz Story: In the forest” (PCCYY-20096). I couldn`t find any informationes in the www.
    Can you help me: EAN, price…further informations..
    Thanks
    W.B.

  77. Is there any background information your Celtic Christmas series (I, II and III)? It’s that time of year again, and we plan our holidays around that wonderful music. I’d love to know when it was recorded, even where the photos were taken… it’s a major part of the Christmas season.

    1. Same for me – these albums are always played starting November and through the holidays. Wouldn’t be Christmas without them at this point.

      Greg

  78. Greetings Windham Hill fans,

    ***First come , first served***

    I have one copy of the 4 CD set (with 45 booklet) of the “A Quiet Revolution – 30 Years of Windham Hill” available for the VERY EXPENSIVE PRICE OF FREE!!! Everything is in mint condition with the exception of one thumbnail sized piece of plastic missing from the affixed CD tray attached to the book style holder. Interested parties should contact me at [email protected] to claim upon. The claimant will be asked for their address and I will gladly send it to you at no charge. If you’ve seen the prices on Amazon and eBay for this then you know this is a steal of a deal and the chance of a lifetime.

    See image

    https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2tLeTvxljWE/WoEBNvZTGUI/AAAAAAAAAQs/ITOSVDdoJ3QR60BVH8Yty9MYhWrPNa7iQCHMYCw/s0/firefox_2018-02-11_20-51-21.png

  79. The 86 Windham Hill sampler has a tune “Hot Beach” by The Interior. I can’t find anything else by them on the Internet. Anybody have any idea who they were? Meanwhile I am so glad I found this site. I am a huge fan of most of the WH artists and have most on cd and a few on vinyl. They are all loaded on my iPod and I listen to them frequently.

    1. Interior was a Japanese band. They have two full releases on Windham Hill – Interior – Interior and Interior – Design. Check Discogs for them.

  80. Would love a copy of a missing one. William Ackerman, Meditations. Not the one that’s out now, but the original. Been a fan of his since the 70’s. Never discovered anyone who could move me in the same way. Would love a re-release–the one with him on the cover with a blue shirt on

  81. Does anyone know where I can “buy” the music on the album Country? I hate “stealing” music but can’t find it on iTunes.

  82. May I ask an album contained with Montreux – To be at second song followed by a song feel like Overturn … I don’t feel it is Sampler 88. Long time ago I did ask by e-mail but I can purchase it back as I am in Macau.

    Thanks technology brings us closer to help me find my dream album.

    1. Montreux, A Windham Hill Retrospective is a CD compilation from 1993 made and distributed in the USA by BMG Music. UPC # 01934-11122-2 (8) Hope that helps.

  83. I have to samplealbums, named A winters solstice V and On a winters night. Are there other albums with the same soft feeling released? If so is where can I buy them?

    1. There are the first 4 Winter Solstice albums. They are out of print as far I’m aware but I’m sure you could find the albums used on Discogs, Amazon or eBay, for example. The other albums you should look into are the new Will Ackerman compilations that were recorded and produced at his studios in Vermont. They are all outstanding. https://imaginaryroadstudios.com/the-gathering/

  84. I must say I feel as though I’ve stumbled upon a group of friends I haven’t seen for nearly 30 years when I read the posts above . I’m was and am a HUGE Windham Hill music fan and must have had 40 or 50 albums back in the day . As so many have mentioned here , this music accompanied me everywhere I traveled ( a professional musician in those days ) hiked , paddled or biked . It was played at home on family get-togethers , quiet intimate evenings , played for babies to lull them and myself into relaxation. This wonderfully adventurous , exquisitely written and performed music literally was the soundtrack to my life and much of it remains to this day a part of my regular music listening .It has inspired me to write , encouraged me to make photographs ( another passion for many years ) been part of festive seasons and backyard cookouts . The vision of Will Ackerman made it possible for these gifted and beautiful artists to enrich my life immeasurably . Today I listen to these albums with much gratitude and a bit of nostalgic sadness aware of the impact the music has had on my spirit .

    This is a wonderful site and i’m so happy to have found it today .

  85. Johnny – This is a great resource. I’ve skimmed through the comments, and my story is similar, but it was my dad who originally got into Windham Hill, and then I did from him. ’76 through ’83 included my high school years. 🙂 What brought me back was, I was interested in getting some ECM titles, so I got the Koln Concert by Keith Jarrett, but then as I’m listening, I got to thinking about George Winston. I even saw Michael Hedges in concert a long time ago. Thanks for doing this! Kevin.

  86. Thank you for putting together such a thoroughly researched list. I’m a pianist and composer who’s found some of the Windham Hill artists to be a major inspiration since I first encountered them in the early 90’s. I’ve sometimes idly wondered what would be a modern successor to the label that sought out new artists who would fit in with the classic Windham Hill style. In the modern era, the obvious answer is to self publish and try to gain an audience through social media, but that has none of the advantages of a label’s editorial curation which guides listeners to new artists in a trusted genre.

  87. Wow – I have found my people! Seriously though, my WH discovery began while active duty as a medic just prior to the first gulf War. I retired in 2005 with several WH DVDs and almost all the Hedges, Ackerman, Winston and Shadowfax gifts to music. Thanks for the discography it helps as I plan my complete collection.

  88. Does anyone know where I can get a CD copy of Ray Obiedo – Sweet Summer Days. Release date : Jul. 15, 1997. Label : Windham Hill Records. There is a copy I’ve seen on Amazon for $95.00. That’s beyond ridiculous. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I’ll spend something for it but not $95.00. Thanks!

  89. Did WH issue a Valentine compilation cd around 1998 which included the song by Jim Brickman and Martina McBride? Plus many other artists?

  90. Glad to have found this place. I am listening right now to the first Winter Solstice album via YouTube. It has been so many years since I heard Ira Stein and Russell Walder’s “Engravings II.” That composition, in one way or another, has been in my consciousness for 40 years. I bought the first George Winston album right after it came out. I was a junior in high school. Then Breakfast in the Field by Michael Hedges, and William Ackerman’s first album. Everybody else was listening to 38 Special, KISS, etc. But that was who I was and still am. I have seen several of the artists live over that time – Ackerman, Winston, Hedges, Scott Cossu and others. I had vinyls but my family sold them long ago. I think I will try to go find your Facebook group.

  91. Just listening to “Winter” by George Winston that I do every year about this time. I found this site while listening. I owned a record store in Wisconsin and we were one of the few in the 1970’s and 1980’s that stocked Windham Hill’s records. I have most of them them on vinyl and have replaced many of them with CDs over the years.

  92. I have a 1985 UK CD titled ‘An Invitation to Windham Hill’ with the catalogue number CDW1: 1. Thanksgiving
    2. Western
    3. Love Theme
    4. Visiting
    5. In The Blue Distance
    6. Angel’s Flight
    7. Ohana
    8. Aerial Boundaries
    9. The Bricklayer’s Beautiful Daughter
    10. Longing/Love

    I assume this is a UK release. It’s published by Rondor. Not sure whether they created the compilation or whether it’s a UK version of a US release.

    Cheers

  93. I recall an album called “Legends” but I can’t find it anywhere. If I remember correctly, it actually came with the first CD player my parents bought, which would have been late 80’s early 90’s. I love this album, but can’t find in anywhere. Does the album “Legends” ring a bell? I think it was a compilation, possibly a sampler album.

    Thanks for your knowledge!

    1. I have to admit I don’t recall anything with that name. Can you provide details on the tracks, or describe the music – all instrumental? Which instruments? etc.

  94. I had 5 LPs at the time, from Barbara Higbie and Darol Anger “tideline”, from Michael Hedges “breakfast in the field”, and in Germany the big “opener for Windham Hill” was George Winston, “autumn” and “december” were my LPs. Forgot the 5th one, someone with a fretless bass^^. All were stolen, and the sad thing is, by some idiot who mainly stole expensive inherited things and most probably threw some 100 LPs away as he found out that he had taken them from the cellar room^^. Wonderful site, thank you!

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