Los hijos de John MacPherson no podían imaginar las consecuencias que tendría el regalo que le hicieron a su padre por el 50 cumpleaños. Aquel saxo alto fue para él una señal. Su momento había llegado. Después de toda una vida llevando el negocio familiar y amando el jazz desde la barrera, decidió abandonarlo todo y lanzarse a la vida incierta del músico callejero. Armado con su instrumento, dejó el hogar y se marchó a Key West (Florida) en cuyas calles aprendió los rudimentos del jazz. Pero fue Nueva Orleáns, la dama mestiza, quien se lo enseñó todo. Allí se introdujo en la escena callejera local, regida por una estricta jerarquía y por un patriarca a quien todos llamaban el Padrino. Afiló su música en Royal Street y a orillas del Mississipi. El jazz le despertaba cada mañana en su habitación del Barrio Francés. “Apenas ganaba dinero suficiente para pagar el alquiler y tener algo que comer”, afirma. “Si una noche llovía y no podía tocar, al día siguiente pasaba hambre. Pero lo importante es que sólo entonces me convertí en un auténtico músico callejero”.
¿En qué consiste tu show?
Interpreto bebop jazz y blues con un saxo alto. Al principio utilizaba un amplificador Pignose y un reproductor de CD que me daban la base rítmica. Esto funcionaba bien y muchos transeúntes se paraban a bailar. Además así era más fácil tocar y podía hacerlo durante mucho tiempo sin cansarme. Después, cuando fui mejorando mi técnica, dejé de utilizar ritmos de fondo porque tocar a capela me permitía ser mucho más creativo. Amo la improvisación.
¿Prefieres tocar sólo o en compañía?
Normalmente voy solo, aunque también me gusta cuando otros músicos me piden sentarse conmigo a improvisar algo. Si la cosa funciona, puede ser divertido. Pero sobre todo disfruto tocando con mi hijo Billy, que es guitarrista. Siempre suena de maravilla.
¿Qué tipo de lugares prefieres para actuar?
Me gusta tocar por la tarde-noche en calles con una vida nocturna activa, llenas de gente que acaba de cenar o de tomar una copa y que está dándose una vuelta, disfrutando del ambiente. También me gusta trabajar de noche. Cuando todo el mundo sale a rastras de los bares. Ahí puede ser divertido. Suceda lo que suceda, es siempre interesante.
¿Prefieres la calle al escenario?
¡Absolutamente! Amo la libertad de la calle. Si la atmósfera es buena y la música fluye suave, puedo tocar hasta que mis labios exploten. Y si el ambiente no es tan bueno, siempre tengo la opción de cambiar de sitio o de irme a casa. En un escenario podría hacer mucho más dinero, pero perdería toda esa libertad.
¿Imaginaban tus hijos que el saxofón que te regalaron por tu 50 cumpleaños iba a cambiar tanto tu vida?
Ellos sabían cuánto amaba el jazz y el saxo. Escuchaba todo el tiempo a Bird, Miles y Trane y solía decir que me gustaría aprender a tocarlo. Pero no creo que se imaginaran que me lo llevaría a la calle. Sé que están felices por el camino que he elegido.
¿Cómo decidiste dejar tu antigua vida por la música?
Antes tenía una empresa de artes gráficas. Eran los 90 y en aquel momento se estaba produciendo un cambio tecnológico que implicaba la utilización de ordenadores. Mis hijos estaban más preparados para esto. Sabían mucho más de computadoras que yo. Además, después de tantos años llevando el negocio, estaba bastante quemado.
¿Habías tocado algún instrumento antes?
Toqué un poco la guitarra cuando era adolescente. Me siento muy feliz de haberla conservado, porque que mi hijo la pilló un día cuando era chaval y hoy es un excelente guitarrista.
¿Echas de menos tu negocio familiar?
No.
¿Qué has ganado y qué has perdido haciéndote músico callejero?
He ganado libertad y no he perdido nada.
Joey Picasso te animó a convertirte en artista callejero con sus historias de viajes por Canadá, Europa y Estados Unidos. ¿Cómo os conocisteis?
Me fui a Key West (Florida) porque allá había una escena musical muy activa. Yo era sólo un principiante y esperaba ser algún día lo bastante bueno como para tocar con otros jazzistas locales o en bandas de blues. La primera semana conocí a Joey Picasso mientras tocaba el saxo alto en Duval Street. Nos hicimos amigos de inmediato. Me enseñó mucho sobre música y sobre la vida en la calle. No necesité mucho tiempo para comprender que quería viajar por la carretera del músico callejero. Él me presentó a Trumpet Bob. Pasamos muchas horas ensayando juntos. Durante un año estuvimos los tres tocando en Duval Street.
¿Fue difícil elegir la vida del músico?
En absoluto. Y no me arrepiento.
¿Cómo conociste más adelante a otros jazzistas?
Tocar en la calle es la mejor manera. Ir a jam sessions es también un buen modo de meterse en el mundillo de los conciertos y los bolos que se organizan por los bares. En mi caso, disfruto más con la compañía de los músicos callejeros puesto que suelen ser espíritus libres. La mayoría de los músicos de escenario están sólo interesados en la fama y el dinero. Los artistas que me gustan de verdad son aquellos que ponen su música por encima de todo.
Fuiste parte de la escena callejera de Nueva Orleáns. ¿Qué aprendiste allí?
¡Todo! Después de convencerme de que podía sobrevivir en las calles de Key West, decidí ponerme a prueba en otra ciudad. Una de las razones por las que quería ser busker eran mis ansias de viaje. Y yo había soñado siempre con Nueva Orleáns, desde que, siendo niño, escuchaba a Louis Armstrong. En cuanto mi amigo Trumpet Bob me dijo que quería cambiar de aires, se me quitó el miedo a viajar solo a lo desconocido. Vino conmigo a Nueva Orleáns y estuvimos juntos hasta que, pasado un mes, tuvo que marcharse. Me quedé solo, sin un trabajo. Lo único que tenía era mi saxofón, la orilla del Mississipi durante el día y Royal Street durante la noche. Apenas ganaba el dinero suficiente para pagar una habitación y tener algo que comer. Si una noche llovía y no podía tocar, al día siguiente pasaba hambre. Pero lo importante es que sólo entonces me convertí en un auténtico músico callejero.
¿Cómo te introdujiste en la escena de Nueva Orleáns?
Había montones de artistas. Más de los que haya visto en cualquier otro sitio a lo largo de mis viajes. Al principio estaba un poco intimidado por el altísimo nivel. Aunque en las calles hay un estricto orden jerárquico y tú debes encontrar tu propio lugar, fuimos bien recibidos por la comunidad. El patriarca de los músicos callejeros era un tipo a quien todos llamaban el Padrino, un viejo negro que tocaba la mejor armónica que hayas escuchado jamás. Solía actuar con Sobrino, otro bluesman que le acompañaba a la guitarra y que también cantaba. Tocaban el blues tan bien como se pueda hacer en Nueva Orleáns. A veces el Padrino interpretaba música clásica con un guitarrista de conservatorio. Desde luego es algo que merece la pena escuchar.
En ese tiempo nunca vi una línea que separase a los músicos por su color. Blancos y negros tocábamos juntos en todas partes. Los artistas estaban siempre dispuestos a ayudarse unos a otros, pero si ocupabas el lugar de alguien te lo hacían saber. El Padrino me dio mi sitio en Royal Street.
Me encantaba vivir en el Barrio Francés. Cada mañana me despertaba el sonido del jazz desde la calle, mientras la gente tomaba café en el restaurante de abajo. De día tocaba en un parque junto al Mississippi y de noche en Royal Street. Muchas veces encontraba en mi lugar a un titiritero buenísimo y no me quedaba más remedio que esperar mi turno, pero no me importaba. Siempre viví según la regla de que el primero que llega es el primero que se sirve. De todos modos a veces hacía más dinero cuando actuaba tarde. En las noches más movidas podía hacer las mejores recaudaciones después de medianoche. ¡Mardi Gras (el carnaval de Nueva Orleáns) es guay!
Royal Street estaba tan llena de juerguistas que sólo podías caminar en la misma dirección que la multitud. Sólo ese fin de semana saqué suficientes propinas como para pagar tres meses de alquiler y tuve, además, el momento de mi vida.
Te defines como músico, artista callejero y aventurero. ¿Con qué te quedas de cada vocación?
Me considero músico por encima de todo. Disfruto lo mismo ensayando que tocando para la gente. El arte callejero es lo que me da de comer. Si no tuviera que alimentarme, seguiría tocando en la acera, pero sin poner el bote de las propinas. En cuanto a mi lado aventurero, me gusta volver atrás, intentar pasar parte del año en la montaña, caminando y comulgando con la naturaleza. Amo meditar en el bosque.
¿Aplicas la libertad del jazz a tu propia vida?
Dejo que las cosas sucedan. Vivo el presente. Y lo vivo de una manera sencilla, sin deseos materiales. Esto me da más libertad de la que nunca podría haber imaginado. Para mí la vida es jazz, el jazz es vida y todo es libertad.
Leo en tu web: “Un músico ambulante encuentra su nicho, el lugar donde debe estar, y hace lo que debe hacer. Mientras tanto, el Universo cuida de él”. ¿Sientes que el Universo cuida de ti?
¡Sí! Todo lo que tienes que hacer es dejarte llevar sin esperar nada. Cada día es un regalo del Universo. Y ese regalo es tener la conciencia de existir.
También citas a Carlos Castaneda: “Olvídate de ti mismo y no le tendrás miedo a nada”. Algunos músicos callejeros me han dicho que tocar en la calle es una medicina contra el miedo.
Vivir el momento es la mejor medicina contra el miedo y tocar en la calle es mi manera de vivir ese momento.
Otra frase sentenciosa que recoges: “Trae salud y conciencia a mi cuerpo, mente y espíritu”. ¿La música es terapéutica?
A veces mi cuerpo empieza a resentirse por la edad. Y la agilidad de mi mente parece haber disminuido un poco, pero mi espíritu está más despierto que nunca.
Which kind of music do you play?
I play bebop jazz and blues on the alto saxophone. When I first started busking I used a Pignose amplifier with a CD player to give me a rhythm and bass background. This worked well and a lot of passers-by stopped to dance to the rhythm. It also made it easier to play the sax and I could play for a long time before getting tired. Later as my skills on the sax improved I stopped using the background because it allowed me to be much more creative with my music. I love improvisation.
Do you prefer to play alone or with other jazzmen?
I usually play alone, although I enjoy it when other musicians ask to sit in. When it works it can be fun. I mostly enjoy when my son Billy is playing his guitar with me because it always sounds great.
Where do you play?
I like to play in the evening on streets where there is an active night life with people who maybe just had dinner and a few drinks at a nearby restaurant and are wandering around enjoying the ambiance or or later in the evening when they are stumbling out of a bar can be fun too. Whatever happens, it's always interesting.
Do you prefer the street or a stage?
Absolutely! I love the freedom of the street. If the mood is good and the music flowing smooth I can keep playing till my lip gives out. However, if the mood is not so good I can always leave or move to another location. As for playing on the stage, I can make a lot more money but I loose all the freedom.
Did your family know that the saxophone that they gave you for your 50th birthday was going to change your life that much?They knew how much I loved jazz and the saxophone. I would listen to Bird, Miles and Trane all the time and had often said I wish I could play the saxophone. I don't think they realized I would take it to the streets nor did I. I know they are all happy with the path I have taken.
How did you decide to leave everything and become a busker?
The business I had was a graphic arts company and at the time it was going through major technological change with the use of computers. My children were much more suited to make this change as they knew a lot more about computers than I did. Also, after many years of running a business I was pretty burned out.
Had you ever played any instrument before your 50th birthday?
I played a little guitar when I was a teenager. I'm glad I had that guitar sitting around because my son picked it up when he was young and became an excellent guitarist.
Do you miss your business?
No.
What have you won and what have you lost becoming busker?
I have won freedom and lost nothing.
Joey Picasso encouraged you to start busking with his stories and experiences. How did you meet him?
I moved to Key West because there was a very active music seen. I was just a beginner on the saxophone and hoped to some day become good enough to play with some of the local jazz or blues bands. During my first week here I ran into Joseph busking with the alto saxophone out on Duval Street. We immediately became good friends. He taught me much about the saxophone and busking. It didn't take me long to realize it was the busking road I would travel. He also introduced me to Trumpet Bob who was just learning to play the trumpet. We all spent many hours practicing together. Within a year we were all playing on Duval Street.
It was a hard decision to start busking?
Not at all, and I have no regrets.
How did you meet other musicians?
Just playing on the street is a great way to meet street musicians and going to jam sessions is a good way to get into the gig scene. I enjoy the company of street musicians as they usually are free-spirited. Many of the gig musicians are only interested in fame and fortune. However, the musicians I like the most are those that put their music first.
What did you learn in New Orleans?
Everything! After I realized I could hold my own on the street in Key West, I decided I would like to test out my new skills somewhere else. One of the reasons I wanted to be a busker was to travel and I have always dreamed of New Orleans since I first heard Louis Armstrong's music as a kid. When my friend Trumpet Bob said he wanted to come along, it helped rid the little fear I had traveling to the unknown alone. He stayed with me about a month before he had to leave. Then I was alone without a job, just my saxophone, the Mississippi shore in the day time and Royal Street at night. I was barely making enough money to pay rent on a room and feed myself. If it rained one night and I couldn't play, I might go hungry the next day, but the important thing was, I had now become a real busker.
Could you explain your experience in New Orleans?
There were a lot of street musicians in New Orleans. More than I've seen anywhere in my travels. At first I was quite intimidated because of the high quality of these musicians. Although there is a pecking order and you have to find your own place, we were well received into this community. It seemed that the godfather of the street musicians was someone they called Grandfather, an older black man who played the best harmonica I have ever heard. He usually played with Nephew who played guitar and sang. They played as good a blues as you will find in New Orleans. Sometimes Grandfather would play classical music on the harmonica along with a white classical guitarist. It sure is something to hear. I could see no color line between musicians. Black and white played together everywhere. The musicians were always ready to help each other out but if you played in someone else's spot they would let you know. Grandfather gave me my spot on Royal Street.
I loved living in the French Quarter. I was awakened by the sound of live jazz every morning as people were having coffee at a nearby restaurant. During the day I played at a park on the Mississippi River and at night I busked on Royal Street. Sometimes when I arrived at my Royal Street spot there was a very good puppeteer already there and I had to wait my turn but I didn't mind, I always lived by the rule of first come first serve. I usually made more money when I played later anyways. On busy nights I would do best after midnight. Mardi Gras was a gas! Royal Street was so thick with revelers you could only walk in the direction of the crowd. In that one weekend I made enough tips to pay my rent for three months and had the time of my life.
In your website you define yourself as musician, busker and adventurer. What do you take of any of them?
I consider myself a musician first. I get as much enjoyment practicing as I do playing in front of a crowd. Busking is how I feed my self. If I didn't have to eat, I would still play on the streets but without out a tip jar. As for the adventure part, I love backpacking and try to spend part of each year somewhere in the wilderness areas of North America hiking and communing with nature. I love to meditate in the forest.
Do you apply the freedom of jazz to your own life?
I practice mindfulness, freedom from control of the past and expectations of the future. I let life happen. I live in the now. I also live a simple life without desires for material things. This gives me more freedom than I could ever have imagined. To me, life is jazz, jazz is life, all is freedom.
'A busker finds his niche, and finds where he is supposed to be and he does what he is supposed to be doing, and the Universe takes care of him' (Mustafa). Do you feel in your travels that the Universe takes care of you?
Yes! All you have to do is let it take care of you without expectations. Every day is a gift from the Universe. That gift is awareness.
'Forget the self and you will fear nothing' (Carlos Castaneda). Some street performers say that busking is a medicine against fear. Do you agree?
I feel that living in the moment is the best medicine against fear and busking is my path to that moment.
'It brings health and awareness to my body, mind and spirit'. Do you think that music is therapeutic?
Sometimes my body is beginning to feel it's age and the quickness of my mind seems to have slowed a bit, but my spirit is more aware than ever.
For a busker, is his website as important as his instrument?
My web site is my toy. My saxophone is my life.
Which kind of music do you play?
I play bebop jazz and blues on the alto saxophone. When I first started busking I used a Pignose amplifier with a CD player to give me a rhythm and bass background. This worked well and a lot of passers-by stopped to dance to the rhythm. It also made it easier to play the sax and I could play for a long time before getting tired. Later as my skills on the sax improved I stopped using the background because it allowed me to be much more creative with my music. I love improvisation.
Do you prefer to play alone or with other jazzmen?
I usually play alone, although I enjoy it when other musicians ask to sit in. When it works it can be fun. I mostly enjoy when my son Billy is playing his guitar with me because it always sounds great.
Where do you play?
I like to play in the evening on streets where there is an active night life with people who maybe just had dinner and a few drinks at a nearby restaurant and are wandering around enjoying the ambiance or or later in the evening when they are stumbling out of a bar can be fun too. Whatever happens, it's always interesting.
Do you prefer the street or a stage?
Absolutely! I love the freedom of the street. If the mood is good and the music flowing smooth I can keep playing till my lip gives out. However, if the mood is not so good I can always leave or move to another location. As for playing on the stage, I can make a lot more money but I loose all the freedom.
Did your family know that the saxophone that they gave you for your 50th birthday was going to change your life that much?They knew how much I loved jazz and the saxophone. I would listen to Bird, Miles and Trane all the time and had often said I wish I could play the saxophone. I don't think they realized I would take it to the streets nor did I. I know they are all happy with the path I have taken.
How did you decide to leave everything and become a busker?
The business I had was a graphic arts company and at the time it was going through major technological change with the use of computers. My children were much more suited to make this change as they knew a lot more about computers than I did. Also, after many years of running a business I was pretty burned out.
Had you ever played any instrument before your 50th birthday?
I played a little guitar when I was a teenager. I'm glad I had that guitar sitting around because my son picked it up when he was young and became an excellent guitarist.
Do you miss your business?
No.
What have you won and what have you lost becoming busker?
I have won freedom and lost nothing.
Joey Picasso encouraged you to start busking with his stories and experiences. How did you meet him?
I moved to Key West because there was a very active music seen. I was just a beginner on the saxophone and hoped to some day become good enough to play with some of the local jazz or blues bands. During my first week here I ran into Joseph busking with the alto saxophone out on Duval Street. We immediately became good friends. He taught me much about the saxophone and busking. It didn't take me long to realize it was the busking road I would travel. He also introduced me to Trumpet Bob who was just learning to play the trumpet. We all spent many hours practicing together. Within a year we were all playing on Duval Street.
It was a hard decision to start busking?
Not at all, and I have no regrets.
How did you meet other musicians?
Just playing on the street is a great way to meet street musicians and going to jam sessions is a good way to get into the gig scene. I enjoy the company of street musicians as they usually are free-spirited. Many of the gig musicians are only interested in fame and fortune. However, the musicians I like the most are those that put their music first.
What did you learn in New Orleans?
Everything! After I realized I could hold my own on the street in Key West, I decided I would like to test out my new skills somewhere else. One of the reasons I wanted to be a busker was to travel and I have always dreamed of New Orleans since I first heard Louis Armstrong's music as a kid. When my friend Trumpet Bob said he wanted to come along, it helped rid the little fear I had traveling to the unknown alone. He stayed with me about a month before he had to leave. Then I was alone without a job, just my saxophone, the Mississippi shore in the day time and Royal Street at night. I was barely making enough money to pay rent on a room and feed myself. If it rained one night and I couldn't play, I might go hungry the next day, but the important thing was, I had now become a real busker.
Could you explain your experience in New Orleans?
There were a lot of street musicians in New Orleans. More than I've seen anywhere in my travels. At first I was quite intimidated because of the high quality of these musicians. Although there is a pecking order and you have to find your own place, we were well received into this community. It seemed that the godfather of the street musicians was someone they called Grandfather, an older black man who played the best harmonica I have ever heard. He usually played with Nephew who played guitar and sang. They played as good a blues as you will find in New Orleans. Sometimes Grandfather would play classical music on the harmonica along with a white classical guitarist. It sure is something to hear. I could see no color line between musicians. Black and white played together everywhere. The musicians were always ready to help each other out but if you played in someone else's spot they would let you know. Grandfather gave me my spot on Royal Street.
I loved living in the French Quarter. I was awakened by the sound of live jazz every morning as people were having coffee at a nearby restaurant. During the day I played at a park on the Mississippi River and at night I busked on Royal Street. Sometimes when I arrived at my Royal Street spot there was a very good puppeteer already there and I had to wait my turn but I didn't mind, I always lived by the rule of first come first serve. I usually made more money when I played later anyways. On busy nights I would do best after midnight. Mardi Gras was a gas! Royal Street was so thick with revelers you could only walk in the direction of the crowd. In that one weekend I made enough tips to pay my rent for three months and had the time of my life.
In your website you define yourself as musician, busker and adventurer. What do you take of any of them?
I consider myself a musician first. I get as much enjoyment practicing as I do playing in front of a crowd. Busking is how I feed my self. If I didn't have to eat, I would still play on the streets but without out a tip jar. As for the adventure part, I love backpacking and try to spend part of each year somewhere in the wilderness areas of North America hiking and communing with nature. I love to meditate in the forest.
Do you apply the freedom of jazz to your own life?
I practice mindfulness, freedom from control of the past and expectations of the future. I let life happen. I live in the now. I also live a simple life without desires for material things. This gives me more freedom than I could ever have imagined. To me, life is jazz, jazz is life, all is freedom.
'A busker finds his niche, and finds where he is supposed to be and he does what he is supposed to be doing, and the Universe takes care of him' (Mustafa). Do you feel in your travels that the Universe takes care of you?
Yes! All you have to do is let it take care of you without expectations. Every day is a gift from the Universe. That gift is awareness.
'Forget the self and you will fear nothing' (Carlos Castaneda). Some street performers say that busking is a medicine against fear. Do you agree?
I feel that living in the moment is the best medicine against fear and busking is my path to that moment.
'It brings health and awareness to my body, mind and spirit'. Do you think that music is therapeutic?
Sometimes my body is beginning to feel it's age and the quickness of my mind seems to have slowed a bit, but my spirit is more aware than ever.
For a busker, is his website as important as his instrument?
My web site is my toy. My saxophone is my life.
