This album documents various street musicians & street artists and performers from New York City. This is a collection of NYC Street Musicians & NYC Street Artists from Central Park, Subways and generally various places in the city.
The New York City Street Musicians & Street Artists is an ongoing photography project to photograph and document the street musicians of NYC as accurately as possible. I owe thanks for the musicians and artists who I have photographed and who had been kind and patient enough to help me through this photo project.
These photos are done on locations with professional Nikon Photography equipments. The photos displayed here are intentionally kept with to a very low resolution. If you need the original high resolution files for large prints, please connect with me for details.
Click on the individual New York City Street Musicians & Street Artists image to enlarge.
Please note the New York City Street Musicians & Street Artists album is a multi page gallery. The page links are at the end of each gallery.
Guitarist Anthony Southgate playing Guitar in New York City – Anthony Southgate, a 49 year old New Jersey resident, is a guitarist who plays on various New York City streets and sometimes in Central Park, NYC. Music is his livelihood and Anthony Southgate commutes for over 2 hours daily to New York City to make his living playing the electric guitar.
Anthony Southgate mostly plays R&B and from the Top 40 list. He carries a small record player with him to add the rhythm to his electric guitar.
Saxophone & Jazz Player Leonardo Love playing music in Central Park NYC – Leonardo Love came over to the US from England to learn how to play the Saxophone & Jazz music. He has stayed back since. Now, in his 50s, Leonardo Love is a full time saxophone & jazz player, playing for the church, gigs and spending time teaching music.
Leonardo Love bears his signature cap that boasts of Cuban & Jamaican music. Most of the time he would play on the 5th Avenue or along the 44th Street in New York City. I met him playing the saxophone in Central Park, practicing for an upcoming gig where he would be playing the saxophone.
Harmonica Player Michael Rivera playing music in Central Park NYC – Michael Rivera, a resident of New York City, and a Buddhist in his faith, has been playing the harmonica in various parts of Central Park & streets of New York City for over 40 years now. He finds peace in his music and plans to travel the world carrying his music with him to Asia and South America.
Tiqin Player Xhou playing music in Central Park NYC – Tiqin is an oriental music instrument popular in China & Taiwan and is a popular in Cantonese operas. Although a tiqin is typically a hard bowed instrument, Xhou has modified the bow to a soft one, made completely with hair from the horse’s tail.
Steel Pan & Xylo Player Maurice & Bubba playing music in Central Park NYC – Maurice Archibald plays the steel metal pan like an expert musician including jazz, calypso, R&B and the reggae. When he is not playing in Central Park, he performs for the live music band “The Decades” in New York City. In this photo, Maurice is accompanied by Bubba who plays the wooden xylo. Bubba has modified the usual wooden strips with earthen pots and gourd to add vibes to the notes.
Benjamin playing Jazz & Saxophone in Central Park, New York City – having brought up in a Russian middle income family, the Saxophone is not the first thing that one leans for. But Benjamin took to it in school and has been playing it for over 40 years now. After he moved half way across the globe to the US, he still plays his Jazz music on the Sax whenever he gets time.
On weekends Benjamin would play in various parts of New York City and more frequently on the East Drive, very close to the 5th Avenue entrance to the Central Park. He does not speak English but that is hardly a limitation as long as he has his music.
Keith Cameau playing Guitar & Songs in Central Park, New York City – Keith is a songwriter, singer & a guitarist having been singing for over 20 years now. He was born in New Jersey but moved across country to Texas where was playing in various bands.
Keith also spent time playing his guitar & his songs in Belize. He is now back in New Jersey trying to get his work as a song writer, singer & guitarist established. I met him singing in Central Park, New York City, entertaining the crowds with Latin & jazz music.
Lee playing Flute in Central Park, New York City – Lee, in his mid 70s, enjoys playing various forms of flutes & drums. When I caught up with him in Central Park, New York City, during the course of the Street Musicians & Artists of New York City project, he was warming up with the Indian flute and waiting for his drummer companion Steve to come back.
Lee was born in Detroit, Michigan and has traveled widely, from Peru in South America to India in the East (he has been twice to India & Bangladesh already). He carries with him a few varieties of flutes – Indian, Peruvian & the American flutes. In addition to the wind instruments, he also carries his drums, his favorite being the one from Egypt.
Steel Pan Player Dexter Jones playing music in New York City – Dexter, now in his 50s, is a resident of the Bronx and has been playing the pan in various parts of New York City & occasionally in Central Park for over 30 years. Dexter comes from Trinidad & his music clearly bears the lively Caribbean tunes & rhythms.
Dexter is a full time street musician in New York City, making his livelihood from the tips & donations that people leave him. On weekends, he signs up to play in gigs & bands in private parties & local New York City hotels.
On weekdays, he would find a busy corner on the 6th Avenue, 8th Avenue, Broadway or the Subway and play, sometimes over 10 hours a day. When I met Dexter the first time playing his pan on the 8th Avenue, he had carefully selected a spot across one of the busiest food joints getting him a crowd waiting in line for the restaurant!
Eddie Rapp Playing the Fiddle in Central Park NYC – Eddie Rapp is a charming gentleman with a spiritual mind to who music comes quite naturally. He was born in New Jersey but spent a lifetime in St Louis Obispo county in California. He is a self taught fiddler – having learned how to hold the violin & play it when he was 30 years old.
His fiddle is as interesting. It is a combination of a basic violin & appendages that Eddie himself attached to make it easier for him to play the instrument. It was not until several people watched him play & pointed out that he was holding the violin incorrectly! But he held on to his own style to this date.
Saxophone Player Valentino playing jazz in Central Park NYC – Valentino, now in his late 60s, moved to the USA about 20 years ago. He is now a citizen & has been staying in Brooklyn for over 14 years, teaching music to Russian children.
Valentino has been playing the saxophone for over 40 years now & learned the instrument when he was a child. He does not speak much English, but he could speak with his jazz music. He plays on weekends in the Central Park and sometimes on week days, he would pick up the saxophone & sit on any of the New York City streets to play for a couple of hours.
Trumpet Player Rafael Pena playing jazz music in Central Park NYC – Rafael Pena is 63 now and was born & grew up in the Dominican Republic before he moved to New York City. He now stays in Bronx and has been playing the trumpet in Central Park & various other places in New York City for the last 6 years.
Most of the time he would play Caribbean music, especially Cuban tunes. On weekends, he would team up with other Cuban musicians & play gigs in hotels & bars for some extra pocket money.
Djembe player Cosmos playing on 7th Avenue New York City – Cosmos, now 58, is a long time New Yorker. Having brought up in not such a well to do neighborhood in Bronx, he had taken to the darker side of life & had been involved with various activities during his twenties, something that he doesn’t look with pride.
Ever since he walked out on his fiance when he was in his late 20s, he had a calling to be a better man. He turned sufi and has tried to live a crime free life ever since. He has a profound view of Sufism & have been influenced by several people from the Indian subcontinent in firming up his belief in God, humanity, humility and non-violence.
He spends most of his time playing the Djembe & drums in various street corners of New York City. He is also writing a book on how his life changed for the better with adoption of Sufism. What amazed me about Cosmos is his dress, apart from his amazing Djembe. He claims he designs them himself and plans to open a dress designing business one day.
The Complete Project documenting the New York City Street Musicians & Artists are available on the following links:
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