2 November 2019

Reminiscence

My late brother Paul was a brilliant fiddler. As a teenager, he played classical violin in orchestras but in his twenties, when living and working in north London, he happened upon the Irish pub scene. It was there that he first heard Irish jigs and reels in which of course the fiddle featured prominently.

He went home, took out his violin and practised - learning a different way of playing. It was a style that was filled with raw emotion and clever improvisation and was part of Ireland's great folk tradition. Before very long he was playing in London's Irish pubs and within a few months was asked to join a semi-professional band called Dingle Spike. 

One thing led to another. He divorced his first wife and because of his love affair with Irish music went to live in Ireland. There he fell in love with Josephine from Galway. They married and had two sons after buying a remote school residence in the middle of County Clare. 

He kept playing his fiddle, joining "sessions" all over the west of Ireland. He became greatly respected in the folk music community. His fingers danced upon the fingerboard and his bow sawed away at the strings in a blur. With eyes closed, he was part of the music, intoxicated by it.

I visited the house in County Clare many times. Paul had amassed a collection of L.P. records that he kept in cardboard boxes. As you can imagine, they reflected his obsession with traditional Irish music. One rainy afternoon, I was thumbing through the albums when I came across a most unexpected record. It stood out like a sore thumb - so different from the rest.

It was "Tapestry" by Carole King. Later I asked Paul about it and he said it was "a masterpiece" and he had loved it from the first time he heard it back in  1971 - before his Irish odyssey began.

I still agree with him. "Tapestry" is indeed an iconic album that evidences a brilliant spell in Carole King's illustrious songwriting career. I have chosen this track to share with you. Like the lover that Carole King addresses in the song, my brother Paul is also now "So Far Away". He died unexpectedly in June 2010 at the tender age of sixty two...

36 comments:

  1. Interesting to hear about your brother's passion for some traditional music and how he became so talented.

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  2. A perfect song for a wonderful memory. Thank you for sharing this great song. With James Taylor there in the front of course. My favourite singer, who sits almost alone and unexpected in my own collection of 'classical' music. Hugs to you YP.

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    1. Thank you for calling by again Kate - and for leaving a kind comment.

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  3. I enjoyed hearing about your talented brother and I am sorry for your loss. That is indeed too young. I also lost one of my brothers in his sixties and I think of him often. You have left a beautiful tribute to Paul.

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    1. We have that in common then Bonnie. It is very sad to lose a much loved sibling.

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  4. It seems you are a very talented family!
    I would have loved a brother or sister. Being an only child was quite lonely.
    It must be hard to lose a brother.
    Kind wishes to you. X

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    1. It must be hard to be an only child. Blood is thicker than friendship.

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  5. Ah Tapestry, the album of my youth, still loved and played here in the Deep South on turntable and CD. Almost 10 years since Carole and James Taylor came to Christchurch NZ but the memory is as clear as yesterday. I bought the best tickets for a once in a lifetime experience I never expected to have and was moved to tears by her energy,the beauty of their voices and the memories their songs evoked. Music is such a gift for the maker and the listener. I grew up with a tradition of Irish music,(by-product of our Catholic world)with elderly uncles who played the fiddle and accordion and aunts the piano. No gathering was complete without a song and dance. I have only travelled to the Northern hemisphere once (for 3 months in 2015) but managed a week in Ireland travelling from Dublin to Galway, Kerry, Dingle, Cork and Wexford with my daughter. The music was as wonderful as the people we met. Paul must have been a brave man to make such a huge change to his life to be true to his passion. So often fear holds us back from being our true selves, leading to bitterness and regret at a life half lived. Thank you for sharing Paul's story and for expressing your love for family and friends so eloquently. I am lucky to still have 3 brothers and 3 sisters between 69 and 49.It will be 48 years at Christmas since the youngest brother Justin died at 6. Gone but never forgotten. Ration those custard creams and keep on walking.. we love your stories. Adele

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    1. How splendid that you got to visit Ireland Adele. And thanks for leaving a very readable comment. R.I.P. Justin - still remembered.

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  6. My Dad loves Irish folk music, and I believe he would have loved travelling to Ireland if he'd had the possibility when he was younger and healthier.
    Your brother's sudden death must have been a terrible blow to all the family and friends. Are you still in touch with your sister-in-law and your nieces? I know from my own sad experience how much that can matter.

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    1. For private reasons, the connection has drifted. Paul had two sons and one daughter and one grand-daughter - all still living in the west of Ireland.

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  7. Music and memories go hand in hand. Thinking of you as you remember your brother and his gift.

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  8. I've listened to Tapestry a lot but gradually came to the conclusion that Carole King's songs are often done much better by others than herself, such as Laura Nyro's version of "Up On The Roof".

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    1. You may be right Tasker. Another good example might be James Taylor's version of "You've Got A Friend"...but there's always something special about versions of songs that are performed by their creators.

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  9. He died too young but it sounds like he followed his passion and had a wonderful life.

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    1. You are right Sue. Some people live twice as long as Paul did...but never as intensely - with so much feeling.

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  10. This was a nice tribute to your brother. I was going to ask about your nephews but Meike bear me to it. It's too bad when families drift apart. That's happening with Gregg's family now that his mom is gone and it makes me sad. You have some great music to remember Paul by.

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    1. With Paul's wife and sons, I feel that the rift that has occurred now makes it very difficult to get back. Things happened or didn't happen that I cannot go into here.

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  11. I don't know much about music, except what I like and don't like. That song is lovely and I didn't know Carole King was the writer. Nor did I ever really listen to the words when I was younger. It's a heartbreaking song really.

    Your brother obviously love his music. He was blessed to have that passion but you must miss him.

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    1. Yes I do miss him. I mentioned him in my speech at my daughter's wedding in August. He should have been there.

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  12. A poignant reminder of a life lived ultimately doing something the liver enjoyed in a place he enjoyed doing it. The picture says such a lot. I've just listened to the Carole King - twice. She was never in my usual listening repertoire but even so I have admired many of her songs over the years - and still do.

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    1. Thank you for your thoughtful comment Graham and for listening to my chosen song a couple of times.

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  13. As you may have gleaned, I have loved musicians in all senses of the word my entire life. They are special and magical people to me. Sometimes with huge faults, yes, but still people who have been giving an extra portion of something that can bring light to others. As Keith Richards says, a musician's canvas is the air. I love how you tenderly described the musician who was your brother.
    Carole King captured a part of that time in our lives which was unique and beautiful and amazing. So many musicians were able to do that then- each in their own ways, with their own words and talents and outlooks. All vastly different from Beatles to Stones to Joni Mitchell to Jimi Hendrix to Marvin Gaye to Aretha Franklin to Bob Dylan to...
    It was wonderful, wasn't it?

    And how tenderly you have written about your own musician brother. Thank you for this post, Mr. P.

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    1. Yes that period of music and youth culture was very special. Fortunately, it coincided with our salad days - when we were so receptive.

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  14. Tapestry was well-played in my dorm room at university. It is a classic.

    It sounds like your brother was hugely talented and his early death was a loss for the musical world as well as for you and the rest of his family. I'm sorry for the loss you still clearly feel, YP.

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    1. Paul was a special human being and he had the common touch too - never imagining that he was better than anybody else.

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  15. Loving memories of your brother, Yorkie...thanks for sharing.

    I still have the "Tapestry" LP among my rather large collectin. And I still have a turntable, too...I still have my stereo.

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    1. Do you have to wind it up with a handle?

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    2. No...it's a top model Panasonic...only the best would do....and still does do.

      I do, however, use a handle to wind up myself.

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    3. I bet your cats wind you up sometimes. I know your landlord does!

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  16. Your brother certainly left this realm a better and happier place. I'm sure all who knew him and heard his music felt blessed. I love Celtic music and try never to miss the Thistle and Shamrock program on Montana Public Radio every week. My family came from Ireland and I have heard many stories, some of them true, from that area. Butte, MT is still solidly Irish as the miners flocked there in the 1880s to work the copper mines there. They called it "The Richest Hill on Earth".
    I listened to Tapestry in my younger years and now that I am older, the words are even more poignant. A different time.
    I am sorry your family has become estranged. It has happened in my family, as well.

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    1. How strange that an Irish mining community established themselves in Montana - so far away from The Emerald Isle. Thanks for calling by once again Penelope.

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  17. YES! That is one of my all-time favorite albums. It was a special event even for Carole King, who, although a terrific singer and songwriter, never made another album quite as resonant or successful as that one.

    Touching reminiscences of your brother. How interesting that, as a Yorkshireman, he identified so strongly with Irish music -- enough to move to Ireland!

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    1. It was simply the violin that led him there and everything else followed.

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