IN MEMORY OF IAN McDONALD
It’s 2002 and the sun is shining on a rehearsal space in Turnham Green, London. The 21st Century Schizoid Band in its original incarnation with Michael and Peter Giles, Mel Collins and Jakko Jakszyk are blasting their way through an incendiary version of 21st Century Schizoid Man. Ian McDonald, with the look of a slightly preoccupied professor, puts his alto sax to his lips and fires off a volley of careering notes that spatter and shape-shift around the backing in the track’s twisting instrumental section. It seems so incongruous that such a furious salvo of notes could issue from someone who offstage was quiet, reserved, and more often than not, self-effacing.
In 2003, after the band had been on tour playing King Crimsonrelated material and one or two songs from his own solo catalogue, Ian said, “One of the most enjoyable aspects of doing these shows is meeting audience members after the gig, to sign autographs, and shake hands,
