It Takes an Artist to Perform in the Street

While walking through the streets of Paris this past weekend, it seemed as though a remarkable number of musicians and performers were in the street. I could not help but notice their various styles of busking and musicality. Three performances immediately come to mind that were of higher caliber and talent.

The first of these performances was outside of Notre Dame, where two gentlemen, one with a saxophone and the other with a bass guitar, played a selection of jazz music. I was sitting outside of the cathedral around eight at night when a particular song grabbed my attention. Ever hear of "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck? This is a phenomenal song and is even better when performed right. These guys certainly knew how to perform this song. Their rhythm was excellent and setting was wonderful. Curious enough, though, is how they managed to perform the piano part without having a piano or synthesizer with them. The gentleman with the bass was able to recreate sounds similar to a piano by strumming in a certain way. At first I could not even tell there was no piano with them. I gave these performers two euros for their rendition of one of my favorite songs.

The second performer could be seen on the steps leading up to Sacré Cœur, an enormous cathedral on a hill in Paris. After climbing an inordinate amount of stairs to reach the top, an incredible view of the city could be enjoyed. Clearly this is a very romantic spot for any of the couples who happened to be in Paris. At the top of the hill was a man with a harp playing some of the most well known love songs. Unlike the duo outside of Notre Dame who were almost blending in with their surroundings, this person was playing the harp directly in front of the breathtaking view. Every performer has an innate desire to be noticed, but this person was making it a point to be noticed. He was talented and played well. Usually I become bothered when a view like this is overshadowed by something else, such as music playing, but in this case I would say that the experience was enhanced. I have no idea how many people share my opinion on this, but by the amount of money in his harp case, I'd say that most of those visitors agree with me.

Finally, as would be expected from any visit to France, accordion players were showing off their talents on many street corners. One in particular caught my eye, in that she was completely dressed up as if she were putting on more than just a musical show. Interestingly enough, I couldn't tell if there was going to be more to her performance than just playing the accordion. The children walking by her were quite amused by both her appearance and the awkward sounds that accordions make. I did not stay for too long to watch, but I did enjoy the moments that I stayed for.

There will never be a shortage of street performers and France is a great place to hear some superb music. Also, be on the lookout for mountain bikers! As I was sitting by the River Seine in the evening, a group of mountain bikers continually jumped down the adjacent steps and onto the ground near where I was sitting. The first time scared me half to death, but soon I realized this was a performance in itself. A huge group of people gathered around the steps to watch the bikers make their treacherous jumps. I guess Paris really does have everything!


Written by James Howe