Hip, But Sad

[Don Higdon]

I live in a very well off suburb of Manhattan, full of Wall Streeters, bankers, lawyers, etc.
On a recent Saturday morning, I was on the main drag, headed for the bank. As I passed the Post Office, I saw a guy opening a tenor case on a bench. The guy, his clothes, and his case looked beat up. It was about 29 degrees and windy.
As I came out of the bank, I expected to hear some lame rendition of Jingle Bell Rock, or worse. I heard him.
He was playing Charlie Mingus' "Nostalgia in Times Square". And he was good. It made me smile, but at the same time I felt sad.

[Marcus Johnson]

Wow... in Hawai'i, we'd call that a "chicken skin" moment... goosebumps.

[Jake deVilliers]

"I was standing on a noisy corner, waiting for the walking green,
Across the street he stood, and he played real good"

[bolo]

If you have seen this before or it has already been posted on TB, apologies.

A Violinist in the Metro

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

[chop_1992]

Here is the original article about Joshua Bell, with the video from the Washington Post.

[damonsmith]

I made about $27 and some change playing Mingus (+ Paul Chambers "Whims of Chambers") tunes on the way to and from a rehearsal last month.
I do it whenever I take the train to a gig or rehearsal. It is a great warm up, good for your chops and you can always use a few bucks.

[frichter]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

I made about $27 and some change playing Mingus (+ Paul Chambers "Whims of Chambers") tunes on the way to and from a rehearsal last month.
I do it whenever I take the train to a gig or rehearsal. It is a great warm up, good for your chops and you can always use a few bucks.

man, your trains must be real stable. My bass would end up in pieces if I tried that on the el.

[Roger Davis]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Wow... in Hawai'i, we'd call that a "chicken skin" moment... goosebumps.

Goosebumps? Just before Christmas I made a quick visit to a large superstore. There was this heavenly sound in the entrance and I noticed a young string quartet playing. As I listened to the music I felt tears welling up and I just made it across to the lady who was soliciting donations for the Altzheimers Society. As I gave her a donation she seemed to notice my discomfort and softly whispered 'Merry Christmas' as she put a sticker on my lapel. I beat it quickly before I lost it completely.

Music - it screws you up!

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by frichter

man, your trains must be real stable. My bass would end up in pieces if I tried that on the el.

Well, I play at the stations, not on the train! Our train system, BART does have an incredible sound, I have always wanted to do a site specific recording on it - going through the tube under the bay. Maybe I will this year.

[JDubbleyoo]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

Well, I play at the stations, not on the train! Our train system, BART does have an incredible sound....

Damon, do you ever play at the Lake Merritt Station? If so, pm me for the next time you do, please, I'd love to hear you in that space.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by JDubbleyoo

Damon, do you ever play at the Lake Merritt Station? If so, pm me for the next time you do, please, I'd love to hear you in that space.

I never tried it there, but hello John! I played a lot at Rockridge, civic center and the two mission stations. We have never met but I have heard you live a few times, you are really fantastic player!

[JDubbleyoo]

Originally Posted by damonsmith

I played a lot at Rockridge, civic center and the two mission stations.

Thanks, Damon! Yeah, can't wait to meet you--I'll stay tuned to you website and come to one of your shows.

Sorry, folks, for the slight derailing of the thread. As a matter of fact, my wife and I were in NYC a few days ago and heard a good tenor player playing in one of the Central Park pedestrian tunnels, not too far from the skating rink. A warrior.Playing that horn in about 32 degrees temperature--there's no way that I'm playing the big fiddle out there in that.

[funkybass4ever]

I hope you gave him a little something ($20) for his great song