Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker and Grammy-Winner, Paul Winter, Pay Tribute to George Martin on Tom Needham’s Sounds of Film

LongIsland.com

Saxophonist Paul Winter and Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker will be Tom Needham’s guests this week at 6 P.M. on WUSB’s the Sounds of Film.

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Paul Winter.

Stony Brook, NY - December 13, 2016 - Seven-time Grammy Winner, Paul Winter, and Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker will be Tom Needham’s special guests this Thursday on WUSB’s the Sounds of Film.  The two of them will be discussing the upcoming Paul Winter Consort’s 37th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration and Tribute to Sir George Martin at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on December 15-17th.

Paul Winter is renowned pioneer of world music. In addition to combining elements of African, Asian, Latin and Russian music with American jazz, he was also one of the first to incorporate the sounds of nature and wildlife into his compositions.  In 1971, he recorded Icarus, a masterpiece that serves as a bridge between small-combo jazz and world music. The album was produced by George Martin.  In 1973, Bruce Springsteen opened for the Consort at My Father’s Place on Long island.  In 1986, he worked with marine biologist Roger Payne and narrator Leonard Nimoy to record Whales Alive!, an album of compositions based on melodies from whales.
 
The 2016 Solstice Celebration will be dedicated to the late George Martin, the producer of the Beatles recordings. The Paul Winter Consort will be joined by Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker, gospel singer Theresa Thomason and the 25 dancers and drummers of the Forces of Nature Dance Theater.  Over the decades, the Winter Solstice Celebrations have become a forum for world music performers from around the world. For many in the New York City area, attending the Winter Solace Celebration has become an annual tradition.
 

Photo: George Brooker.
 
This year marks the first time the multi-media event will honor and feature artists from the classic rock realm such as George Brooker,  a legendary singer, pianist and composer who is most known for being a founding member and vocalist for Procol Harum. He is the co-composer of the classic song “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” which has sold over 10 million copies and is the most played song in the history of British radio. Procol Harum’s music has been featured in dozens of movies including The Big Chill, Breaking the Waves, Pirate Radio and Martin Scorsese’s New York Stories.  George Brooker is also well-known for his collaborations with George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Martin.
 
About the Sounds of Film
The Sounds of Film is the nation’s longest-running film-themed radio show.  For thirty years, the program has delivered a popular mix of interviews and music to listeners all over Long Island, parts of Connecticut and streaming live on the Internet at wusb.fm.  Past guests include director Rory Kennedy, Governor Jesse Ventura, Peter Fonda, Kurtis Blow, director Hal Hartley and Dionne Warwick.