I knew Philip in the 80s as he and I traveled in overlapping circles. I heard him play several times. He was far, far more than a mediocre player. He absolutely

I knew Philip in the 80s as he and I traveled in overlapping circles. I heard him play several times. He was far, far more than a mediocre player. He absolutely could have been a professional orchestra player had he wanted to--and if he had been able to control the abrasive bits of his personality. But nobody who heard him in those days would ever have called him 'mediocre.' In a certain way, that adds to the tragedy of the whole sordid affair.