Long Ago
What happened to our country?
Who remembers the classic Simon & Garfunkel album: Bookends? The song Old Friends from that album has always really moved me... the imagery of two old men reminiscing on the years of their youth "sitting on a park bench like bookends" is very powerful. Well its June 2020 and our country is in a terrible mess. Riots in the cities, pandemic deaths now surpassing 100,000 and a government awash in unprecedented ignorance, chaos, greed and confusion.
This instrumental tune hopefully conjures up that feeling of nostalgia for times more innocent - where everything around you didn't seem like being swept up in a vortex of evil. Sure nothing was perfect way back in yesteryear but at least our culture had a semblance of civility...
© Richard Coffey - All Rights Reserved
About the Music
This composition was actually inspired by a Roland D-50 patch I created ages ago but never used. As a matter of fact, most of the arrangement is built up with patches primarily on the Roland JV-880 that I haven't used yet on any recordings. The melody is of course played on a Native American flute. It was a little difficult as the flute is in G minor and this tune is in A minor so some of the fingering was a bit awkward. The good news is I have an A minor double flute on order so soon I will have that to record with as well. 
Related Info
- Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends
- Old Friends (from The Concert in Central Park)
- Photo Credit - Adrian McDonald
^ This is a wonderful photo - sadly who knows what awaits this innocent child in our hatred-enabled society today... - We've Lost Our Way (reflections...)