My pal Ali MacKenzie is, in my view, Ireland’s greatest bass player. His lifeblood is playing live music (it almost doesn’t matter what context – blues bands, 80s tribute bands, his own music…) and he’s always written and recorded music, though only ever getting a fraction of it ‘out there’.
I encouraged Ali to get his ‘Space Debris’ instrumental album ‘out there’ a year or two back, and I’ve since been encouraging him to get an Ali MacKenzie Band mini-album of vocal material out there. He was all set to film a video for this track from the forthcoming album, with all the players involved, when the current apocalypse came along and made that impossible – and, of course, a non-priority anyway.
Like a lot of us, Ali does something other than his real calling/interest for a living – he works in an NHS renal unit in Belfast. Doing that without the usual outlet of weekend gigs and the like is tough. Ali just wanted to get this piece of music out there – thinking that people might enjoy it is a morale-booster in itself – and asked me to do it. So here it is – ‘The Saddest Song’, a reflectioon on mortality, with fabulous Belfast bar singer Maggie Toal on vocals.
I really enjoyed that Colin. I hope that mini-album gets released eventually. Please pass on this message and tell the man to keep safe the best he can. Thanks for the post. Really nice vocals too.
I will indeed, Bingmeister – thank you. 🙂 Within the last month Ali was doing gigs with about six different bands – three of them one-off no-fee bands for charity shows, a couple of blues bands and a decent-money/terrible music 80s tribute act, as well as the planned video shoot for the above… and suddenly, there is only the renal unit. So knowing that a complete stranger likes something he did will be a nice glimmer of light!
Here’s a dodgy phone clip I took of Ali with Maggie and the elusive Ali MacKenzie Band in Newry a couple of years back – the very start of this Ali MacKenzie Band project. Little Maggie did very well with one rehearsal, a load of originals and a music stand!
Some nice guitar there…lets hope this thing goes away soon and they can all get back to doing what they do so well…Cheers Colin..stay well…
Dare say he’s fairly useful on the Renal Unit too…
That’s an absolute cracker Colin. Be sure to let us know when the mini-album comes to fruition – I’ll be first in line to get a copy! Terrific vocals too – “fabulous Belfast bar singer” doesn’t come close – she’s far better than all of the people I’ve ever heard singing in a bar, Belfast or otherwise! What do they put in the water over there? The place is buzzing with musical talent.
Me likey, especially the vocals.
Thank you both. The Magster had a crack at being Ireland’s Eurovision entry in the 90s, but can be found doing her covers thing in a barroom two-piece around Belfast every weekend (as was…).
Here’s another from that rare MacKenzie Band live outing – a funk cover – in 2018, with the legendary Dr Big Bill Campbell (about twice Maggie’s height) on guitar. Another man who needs to not exactly record more music, but get more recorded music *out there*…
The Rock and Roll doctor advises you to take that at least twice a day. Smokin’!
You want smokin’? Walk this way… 😀 Here’s the burblemeister with Dave McLarnon’s Hat Band – a one-off charity ensemble of local music legends playing at an event I put on two weeks ago, JUST before the apocalypse/closedown… Ali was in ex-Them guitar-slinger Jim Armstrong’s touring band in the 90s and the Hat Band revived Jim’s intro to ‘Gloria’ for this storming performance…
That’s exactly what I needed before I pile into the Butter Chicken, pilau rice, veg samosas and various bhajis I have steaming – hopefully not smoking, though I have been distracted – in the oven downstairs. Proper rock and roll played by real people and enjoyed by real people in a real place. What a glorious racket Gloria makes in the hands of those who understand her! Brilliant stuff Colin.
You’re welcome! And speaking of bhajis, I’m going to stop home-working and go in search of such items (plus whisky)…
Actually, while we’re on a ‘celebrating Ali MacKenzie’ campaign, this is great – the burbling bass maestro sitting in with Sam Davidson’s Taste in a Belfast bar last year. (Sam was in the Wilson/McCracken revival of Taste in the late 90s and inherited the band name when the originals bowed out.) Also sitting in was a fascinating character called ‘Dancing Dave’ Taylor – mesmerising to watch…
The song in the OP is terrific Colin – agree that Maggie Toal’s vocals are excellent and there is some lovely guitar work too. Thanks for posting, and congrats to Ali both for the music and for what he’s doing right now in the NHS.