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Liz Story

b. October 28, 1956 - San Diego, California Wife of [a=Joel DiBartolo] Liz Story is a Grammy Award nominated American pianist best known for her recordings for Windham Hill Records. Story was classically trained, studying music at Hunter College and at Juilliard in New York City. Story lost interest in a music career until she saw [a=Bill Evans] play one night at the Bottom Line in New York. She met Evans after the show and, at his suggestion, she began to study with Stanford Gold. Evans remains a major inspiration to Story and she has recorded a number of his compositions. Story was signed to Windham Hill Records in 1982. The label, often associated with new age music, released Solid Colors, an album of her compositions performed on solo piano the following year. Her second album, Unaccountable Effect (1986), featured collaborations with synthesist [a=Mark Isham] and is highly regarded by fans of ambient music. Down Beat magazine said her career was hurt when Billboard listed her Windham Hill LPs in their jazz charts and "critics, expecting her to tackle Ellington and Monk, panned her performances." Story then left Windham Hill, signing with RCA's Novus label which released her next two albums, Part of Fortune (1988) and Speechless (1989). She returned to Windham Hill the following year. During the 1990s Story recorded two albums of primarily her own compositions, two albums of standards, and a Christmas album. She has since left Windham Hill and is now under contract to DMI.