SKF NOTE: Drummer/bandleader/composer Paul Motian was one of my first feature interviews for Modern Drummer. His interview appeared in the April-May 1980 MD. I loved his songwriting and I liked his playing jazz drums without the traditional ding-ding-ding cymbal beat.

Last year I found out from friends visiting Rockland, ME that a woman living there had a local radio show dedicated to Motian. And she had all of the late drummer’s belongings in a Rockland warehouse.

That piqued my curiosity. Who was this woman? And how did she end up curating one of the world’s most renowned drummers artifacts?

I reached out to Cindy McGuirl by email, which we followed up with phone calls. This conversation took place during two sessions (February and March) in 2024. Paul Motian was McGuirl’s uncle. And as he neared the end of his life, Motian asked his niece to take possession of his life’s work and belongings.

That’s exactly what McGuirl did. After Motian’s death, McGuirl drove a moving truck into NYC and drove all of the drummer’s possessions back to Rockland, ME.

McGuirl appears in the 2020 documentary, “Motian In Motion.” She also hosted the “Uncle Paul’s Jazz Closet” blog and radio show. Her dedication to Motian’s legacy is admirable.

McGuirl has compiled for sale two volumes of Motian Songbooks. He has an extensive song catalog, and McGuirl, an artist and bookbinder by trade, has made these songbooks works of art.

Covid-19 curtailed her on-air Motian radio shows. So while she is not now producing new “Uncle Paul’s Jazz Closet” podcasts, McGuirl is digitizing the more than 200 archived shows, making them available to the public through her website.

Finally, the “autobiography” referenced several times in this conversation is a work in progress, chock full of interesting observations by Motian throughout his career.

The Derek Baily/Paul Motian “Duo in Concert” album is available here.

Thank you, Cindy McGuirl, for preserving your Uncle Paul’s legacy. He left his life’s work in the right hands.