Farewell, Kate

The McGarrigles have long been a Montréal folk music treasure, so it was with great sadness that Montréal had to say farewell this week to the irreplaceable Kate McGarrigle, sister to Anna, mother to Martha and Rufus Wainwright.

I have fond memories of seeing the McGarrigles several times over the years, both in Vermont and in Montréal. Their performances were always endearingly modest and ramshackle affairs, unpolished one moment, transcendent the next, or both at once. I remember the director of Burlington VT's Flynn Theater announcing the sponsor for the evening, the resulting applause drawing Kate and Anna prematurely to the stage. They retreated, embarrassed, then quickly returned; immediately the audience was theirs.

I remember a Christmas concert in Outremont a few years ago with the extended clan. It wasn't quite fully rehearsed, so there was much laughter and ribbing one another and shifting of chairs and needless apologies for the mess. They were family, and we were all included. The last time I saw Kate and Anna together was back in October when Emmylou Harris was in town. I suspected they might come out for a few songs since they've long collaborated with Emmylou, and indeed they did, their unique McGarrigle harmonies circling Emmylou's voice, the deep musical friendship between them obvious.

On our way to Montréal from Vermont this past Friday, we were lucky enough to hear a rebroadcast of a 1993 interview and concert with Kate and Anna on NPR's Fresh Air in honor of Kate's passing. As we drove across the Champlain Bridge on a brilliant winter's afternoon, the warm sun slanting across the cityscape from the west, Kate, who lived in the city, raved about the bakeries in her neighborhood and said that Anna had to come into the city from the country to get good bread. They sang "I Eat Dinner," which was about Frida Kahlo but also--Anna chimed in--about Kate. As we arrived in the heart of Montréal, they were singing "Love Is": "My love has no reason, has no rhyme. My love cross the double line."

Montréal will miss you, Kate. May the music live on.