THE ‘80s A Special Report :...

The individual accomplishments of musicians like Wynton Marsalis and David Sanborn had their collective counterpart in the story of Windham Hill Records and the New Age music it represents. The main musical architect in this ground-breaking venture was William Ackerman, a guitarist who played on the company’s first releases in 1976.

Almost a decade ago, in 1980, George Winston’s first album for the label was released. Next came an album by Shadowfax, a highly original electronic group that made its debut with an eponymous album in 1982. As the Windham Hill family grew, with artists such as Mark Isham and Scott Cossu reflecting every idiom from Asian and African to Middle Eastern and South American Indian culture, along with classical, jazz and Latin touches, it became clear that the music could not be given any existing label.

Along the way, the term “new age” was born--not a phrase dear to the hearts of most of the artists, but one that has stuck. In fact, because so many products were being arbitrarily assigned to jazz or pop, it was decided by the recording academy in 1986 to add New Age to its burgeoning list of subdivisions.

The Taste Makers project was edited by David Fox, assistant Sunday Calendar editor.