The Sands of Kuwait

  1. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Ginny has dedicated this pipe slow air, composed by Lance Corporal Gordon MacKenzie of the 1st Battalion Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons), to the memory of her father who passed away a few days ago in Canada. Ginny's dad, Dr Gordon Cameron, was a centenarian and served in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and spent his latter years in Sunnybrook Veterans' Centre in Toronto.

    Ginny and I had done some work on this tune a while back but had never taken it to completion or made a video and she decided it was the tune she wanted to use in her tribute. I think it is really appropriate, coming out of a military operation in the Gulf War; her dad was also very proud of his Scottish antecedents and of his being a Cameron! By coincidence my maternal grandmother was also a Cameron, so the tune had special meaning for both of us.

    Ginny used our original soundtrack (of octave, mandolin and guitar) and produced this beautifully understated video.

    We salute your memory, Dr Gordon Cameron.

  2. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    I saw this on YouTube and was wondering when it would be posted here. It's a fitting tribute. My thoughts are with Ginny and her family.
  3. Frankdolin
    Frankdolin
    Beautiful
  4. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Thank you John, as always, who has been such a help during the long process of looking after a parent of that age. Thank you for your comments on the music and the video. I didn't want to take advantage but still wanted to acknowledge his passing, so as John said, it is subtle and I turned off the comments for some peace. If you look back to A Place in the Heart - I posted for his 100th birthday...we almost made it to 101. I am not sad we didn't make it but I am sad he is not with me anymore. He was my dad - I was the only daughter of 5 kids. I am actually just back from the funeral so I had asked John to post it for me. I hope you like the music, John does an incredible job making stringed instruments sound like pipes so with my contribution I softened my amplification to let him shine through.
  5. Bertram Henze
    Bertram Henze
    A salute to a beloved person passing on to the next world is probably the highest challenge for solemn musical presentation, the Scots being absolute masters in handling it, and this is no exception. It has that comforting pipe feel of coming home. The poppies suggest that Kuwait is not far from Flanders, in a way, and isn't that true.
  6. Simon DS
    Simon DS
  7. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Thank you, Bertram. You understood. John of course has the lead in the music, as he should, being the master of that Scottish flick thing he does.
  8. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    A very beautiful tribute!
  9. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Sincere thanks to you all for your very kind responses to Ginny's moving tribute. From the many online conversations I have enjoyed with Ginny over the past few years as well as our several collaborations I feel I have got to know about her late father and he was a remarkable man.
  10. Simon DS
    Simon DS
    Sensitively played with John, well done.
    A beautiful tribute to the memory of your father, Ginny. A great and honourable life, may he rest in peace.
  11. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Thank you to all.
  12. Don Grieser
    Don Grieser
    A beautiful tribute to your father, Ginny. Thanks John for your playing on it too. A good long life celebrated and honored.
  13. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    Thank you Don. John actually did most of the work on this piece, I added my mandolin to his so we could 'share' it.
  14. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    Thanks, Simon and Don. It was just one of those lucky moments as we already had a suitable tune which we had not used in our collection, and Ginny thought it would be a very apposite one for the tribute, with its Cameron connections and also the military links.
  15. Jess L.
    Jess L.
    Nicely played, Ginny and John.
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