Heartache at losing brother and friend inspires jazz man Kyron’s tribute Christmas single ‘Christmas At The Airport’ has been released by PRISM Digital and is available to download from Amazon, Googleplay and on iTunes
A BELFAST-BASED jazz artist has revealed the personal heartache behind the making of his new Christmas single.
Kyron Bourke lost his brother Brendan and the music genius who produced his album, Mudd Wallace, within a few years of each other, both as a result of kidney complications.
Speaking about it for the first time, Kyron revealed how he gave his very ill brother a new lease of life by donating a kidney to him three years before his tragic death in 2012, aged 50.
A year later, Kyron released a new album, My Dirty Road, produced by Mudd Wallace who passed away in 2015, aged 59.
In a touching tribute to both men he dedicated his new single, Christmas At The Airport, to them as he kicked off the Christmas music programme in Bert’s Jazz Bar, Belfast, this week.
Born in Dublin, Kyron moved to Belfast in 1992, initially for three months to play in Larry’s Piano Bar.
He never left and is now happily settled with his longterm partner, artist and potter Fleur Jackson, and their two children, 11-month-old Sheiva and Lorca (4). He also has a son, PJ (26).
Kyron, who plays in the popular Merchant Hotel jazz bar every Saturday and Sunday night, hopes the single will serve as a memorial to Mudd and Brendan.
He said: “Mudd Wallace was great. When a legend like that dies, there is a big funeral and a few days of lamenting and then they are forgotten.
“I am glad the single is out and I hope he will be remembered now.”
It was more than their shared passion for music which bonded Kyron and Mudd, who was renowned for working with many top local musicians including Van Morrison, Bap Kennedy and Therapy?.
Mudd had come through a kidney and pancreas transplant some years ago and, when they started to record, Kyron was still going through the early stages of grief at losing his brother.
Brendan had enjoyed three good years after the transplant surgery and died unexpectedly in December 2012 after developing pneumonia.
Kyron said: “Mudd asked me to go into his studio to play Christmas at the Airport, which I did on a big grand piano. On the back of that he offered me a contract for an album.
“He had had a kidney transplant years ago. By the time the album was completed he was really ill again and it had become clear he was not eligible for a kidney transplant.
“In the meantime my broth- er had died and the kidney thing really bonded us. My brother had Crohn’s disease when he was younger and amyloidosis which they cured, but not before it had damaged his kidneys.”
Amyloidosis is a group of rare conditions caused by deposits of abnormal protein, amyloid, in tissues and organs throughout the body. Former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness had the condition before his death in March 2017.
Kyron added: “My brother’s kidneys closed down and he was on dialysis and everyone in the family got tested, including my two sisters and even my elderly mother was prepared to donate her kidney.
“As his brother I kinda knew that it would be me who would give him a kidney. The transplant was a great success. After the surgery I remember him standing beside my bed with rosy cheeks while I was pressing the morphine button.
“He was great and he had three great years and should have been able to carry on like you or me, but his immune system was suppressed and he got a cold which led to pneumonia. It happened very sud-
❝ The song is a story of heartbreak that will resonate with those who’ve lost a loved one
denly and really shouldn’t have happened. He should have been in hospital and if he had even been in hospital the night before he might not have died.
“It was a terrible waste and just seemed so senseless.”
Mudd’s death so soon after he lost his brother left Kyron with an even greater sense of loss. In memory of both he decided to revisit the album he recorded with Mudd and to release ‘Christmas At The Airport’.
The single features some of the most talented players in Irish soul, jazz and country.
Kyron added: “People were always asking me about the album and what had become of it. After three years I decided it was time to work on it again and had interest from a new digital record company so it has all taken off from there.
“The song is a story of heartbreak, loss and personal sacrifice, although it was written before my brother died but recorded during that painful time.
“I think it is a story that will resonate with anyone who has said goodbye to a loved one and I hope that it will strike a chord with those who, like myself, find Christmas a particularly difficult time of year.”