I heard him long before I saw him – the unmistakable sound of a saxophone, playing a popular tune. The playing was nuanced and well phrased. I was returning to Oxford Street after visiting the Photographers’ Gallery, and as I turned onto the main street, there he was.
Sprawled a little awkwardly on the pavement, propped against a shop front, eyes closed – lost in the music. Oxford Street is one of the busiest streets in central London and the pavement was crowded. Few people stopped to listen. I paused – there was a photo opportunity. I waited for a gap in the human traffic, and my eye was drawn to the sheet of paper propped up in the Saxophone case. It reads: ‘This is her chance to survive. I am doing this for my sick wife.’ And then there is a phrase in a foreign language – Spanish or Italian?, I wasn’t sure, but I was pretty certain that the first two words ‘La Vita’ meant ‘Life’. I took a number of images as he played on. Not once did he look up. I dropped a donation into the Saxophone case and moved on.
I’ve thought about him a lot since then. How many days has he occupied that space? How is his wife? Has the money raised by his music helped? Is she improving? So many unknowns.
I typed the phrase ‘La vita è una ruota’ into the computer and up popped the answer: ‘Life is a wheel’. Always turning. It conjures up so many thoughts.
Oh Bless, hope he gets enough to be able to make life more comfy for her.
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Thanks Paula. Sadly we shall never know.
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This is so touching, and sad, and compelling as an image. As you say, it raises every sort of question. The saying about life being a wheel is so true. His appearance suggests he’s known better times; I hope his efforts bring better times again.
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it was a compelling sight, Linda. He was lost in his music, and the passers by seemed largely oblivious of his presence – a sad reflection on society.
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A telling image Andy and I found your words both thought provoking and moving.
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Thanks for your thoughts, Alan. Musicians busking for money are a common sight in London, on the underground and on the streets. They are often very capable musicians and I suspect many of them are doing it to supplement their income. This man was altogether different, busking for a noble cause, and playing beautifully. I would have loved to know his back story.
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This is a very powerful image, Andy. Nice work.
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Thanks Ken. I had walked past this spot about an hour earlier on my way to the Photographers’ Gallery and he wasn’t there then, so it was quite by chance that when I reversed my steps he had started playing.
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Great image.
I hope he will get enough money to save her.
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I hope so too
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Brings back memories of so many people playing on the streets and in the subways of New York, where a sax was almost always my favorite instrument to hear. This is poignant – I’m glad you did your part when you joined his part of the wheel of life, if only for a brief moment.
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Yes – of all the orchestral instruments the Saxophone is my favourite. And Stan Getz was a great saxophonist
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