Liz Story: The Pianist Who Redefined New Age and Jazz
Liz Story is an American pianist and composer whose lyrical, impressionistic style became a cornerstone of the Windham Hill label's sound in the 1980s. Hailing from San Diego, California, her 1984 album Solid Colors became a landmark release in the new age genre, achieving significant sales and establishing her as a leading instrumental voice.
Early career
Born in 1956, Liz Story began her musical journey with classical piano training before discovering jazz in her teens. Her artistic path shifted dramatically after hearing the music of Bill Evans, leading her to study at the Juilliard School and later with jazz pianist Armen Donelian. Her professional debut came with the 1983 album Solid Colors on the influential Windham Hill Records, a label synonymous with the burgeoning new age movement.
Breakthrough
Story's true breakthrough arrived with the release and immediate success of Solid Colors in 1984. The album perfectly captured the Windham Hill aesthetic—a blend of jazz harmony, classical technique, and introspective composition—and found a vast audience. It spent considerable time on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart and became a catalog staple, often cited as a definitive work of the era's instrumental music scene.
Key tracks
Wedding Rain — This opening track from Solid Colors instantly defined her signature sound of flowing arpeggios and melancholic melody.
Storyville — A composition showcasing her sophisticated jazz influences and intricate, conversational right-hand lines.
Hymn — A later piece from 1988's Part of Fortune, it highlights her evolution towards more structured, song-like forms within the solo piano context.
Speechless — The title track from her 1989 album demonstrated a fuller, more produced approach while maintaining her lyrical core.
Liz Story continued a prolific output through the late 1980s and 1990s with albums like Unaccountable Effect (1985) and Escape of the Circus Ponies (1991). Her work, while often categorized as new age, consistently drew deeper from jazz and classical traditions than many of her contemporaries. She collaborated with other Windham Hill artists like Alex de Grassi and has performed at major venues worldwide, including the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Fans of Liz Story's intricate piano work may also enjoy the music of George Winston, who similarly blends folk and impressionistic styles. William Ackerman shares the Windham Hill lineage and a focus on acoustic guitar composition. The jazz-inflected piano explorations of Keiko Matsui offer a compelling parallel. For a different instrumental approach in the same genre, consider Andreas Vollenweider and his signature harp sound.
Liz Story's catalog remains a fixture on many adult alternative and instrumental music radio stations. Her recordings are frequently featured in the playlists of dedicated new age and contemporary jazz FM stations, as well as on online radio streams specializing in relaxing and sophisticated instrumental music. Independent music radio stations with a focus on acoustic artistry continue to program her work.
The music of Liz Story can be heard on radio stations featured on our website. Listeners can discover or enjoy her influential piano compositions through the variety of instrumental and new age radio stations available on onairium.com.
