A Back-to-Back Piano Post

Uncle Al—the brother of my Mom's best friend, Donna—was cool. He was a bit younger than my Parents. In the 1960s and 1970s, he usually wore turtlenecks, not ties. He kept his hair a bit longer than men of his generation, and he sported modern sideburns. Uncle Al often addressed his niece, Kris, and me in English. Sometimes he appeared at parties in a Nehru jacket. One Christmas, he wore a navy-blue, velvet blazer that made him look like a member of the Moody Blues.

Uncle Al worked as a professional artist. One year—at a time when most people gave me toys as gifts—he brought me a full-size set of 200 pastels. I felt so grownup.

You get a sense of his good nature here, here, and here.

Uncle Al also was an accomplished pianist. He could play any tune he heard, and he rarely relied on sheet music.

Suburban Chicago, December 1972. Uncle Al entertains us after Christmas dinner at Donna's house. The gentleman looking on in the background is the father of Donna and Uncle Al. Donna stands behind her father, talking to guests. Uncle Al uses the sheet music—as a coaster for his Courvoisier.