Suspicious Musical Instrument
On the train on my way to my spot for the day at the 14th street subway station there were 4 South American guys playing bass, two guitars and an accordion. They were wearing matching burgundy coats and white hats. They were traveling from car to car in the train, playing one song in each…
Read MoreDay After Thanksgiving
On my way to my permitted spot at the Times Square subway station, through the train window, I saw Frankie playing his guitar and singing on the platform at 59th street. When I got to the spot at Times Square Michael Schulman, the violinist, was playing there. Near him was a small table and a…
Read MoreDay Before Thanksgiving
On my way to the Music Under New York spot at the 59th street & Lexington subway station I ran into Frankie, playing guitar, singing and whistling on the N/R/W platform. He told me that he was at the 96th street station this morning, then went to Times Square to use the bathroom (the only…
Read MoreSee You When You’re 120
Calebe Aruda was playing his violin at the Music Under New York spot at the 14th street subway station when I got there. He said he got a late start today – 11am. He was wearing a short sleeve t-shirt despite the wintery weather. He said that he breaks up a sweat when he plays.…
Read MoreLuggage and Little Girl Left With Busker
When I got to the Music Under New York spot at the Times Square subway station, Raices Group was playing there: two guys dressed in white ponchos, one playing the pan flute, the other playing mandolin. There were lots of different types of flutes at their feet. I noticed that a section of the mezzanine…
Read MoreHow do you get to Carnegie Hall?
There is a well-known joke in which the absent-minded maestro violinist Jascha Heifetz was racing up New York’s Seventh Avenue to a rehearsal, when a stranger stopped him. “Pardon me”, he said, “can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?”. “Yes”, answered the maestro breathlessly, “Practice, practice, practice!” Well, I have my own…
Read MoreVisit From a Boston Statue
To my amazement, nobody was at the Music Under New York spot at the Times Square subway station when I arrived there. I noticed that there was light inside the about-to-be-opened record store next to the spot, and I could see they already brought merchandise into it. All the buskers are scared of what will…
Read MoreThe Smell of Winter in NYC
When I got to the Music Under New York spot at the 59th street and Lexington subway station, there were 3 guys singing there, accompanied by a 4th guy on keyboard. They are “N” Tune – an R&B group which sings songs from the 50’s through the 80’s. Really nice, older guys, who sing beautiful…
Read MoreHalloween in the NYC Subway
On the train I often sit at the end of the last car – that way my bulky gear doesn’t interfere with other passengers. Lately I noticed a guy who gets on the train a few stops after me – he carries 2 folding tables and a big bag on a cart with him. He…
Read MoreHalloween Eve
On the train this morning I ran into one of the saxophone players from ‘Sax and the City’ – a quartet of sax players that used to play in the subway under the Music Under New York banner. He just returned from a tour of China with the ’42nd Street’ musical. While there he discovered…
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