Steve Forbert: Grand Central Station, March 18, 1977
[purchase]
Joni Mitchell: For Free
[purchase]
As the holiday season begins to wind down, I hope it has brought joy and love of family to all. Part of our theme this week is fellowship, and it seems to me that there can be no greater act of fellowship than the giving of a gift. In these hard times, I am starting to see accounts of times when the need was great, and some of those who could made gifts to those in need anonymously, and with no knowledge of who was receiving the gift. It occurred to me that musicians do this all the time. Their gift is their song. And there are those musicians who do this without regard to how, or even whether, they will be paid.
If you spend any time in a city of a reasonable size, you will have encountered a busker at some point. These are musicians who perform their work in public spaces for all to enjoy. Yes, they open their instrument cases and hope for donations, but their main focus is sharing their art for all to enjoy. Steve Forbert first performed this way, in Grand Central Station in New York City, so we can trust his account of the experience. Joni Mitchell describes her response as a listener to a talented busker.
Special announcement: I now have another space in which to share wonderful music. My own music blog, Oliver di Place just went up this week. Follow the link on the sidebar, and let me know what you think. I look forward to seeing you all there.