Leaves Festival 2025
Music and Mayhem: An evening with Keith Donald and Don Baker
Master of the clarinet and saxophone, Keith Donald has created a moving and highly entertaining evening centring on his recently published memoir. This gripping memoir, Music and Mayhem, is a raw and candid journey through abuse, trauma, addiction and ultimately triumph. Keith brings his memoir to life through a blend of storytelling and live music, interspersing the readings with live saxophone and clarinet performances.
Joining Keith for this rich and immersive evening is Don Baker; Ireland’s finest and most renowned blues and harmonica player. This fusion of two Irish musical legends promises to be a highly memorable evening which will leave a lasting impact on audiences.
Keith Donald has been playing music in public since his first gig seventy years ago, aged ten, on BBCNI radio. Since then he has played and recorded with Moving Hearts, Christy Moore, Maire Breatnach, Mary Black, Van Morrison, Don Baker, Mary Coughlan, Louis Stewart, Jim Doherty, Noel Kelehan and scores of others in a career that he describes as ‘never boring’. He has composed music for films, TV and plays. His memoir, Music & Mayhem was published by Lilliput Press in April.