The Human Jukebox

You might remember Eddie Barbash and Jesse Scheinin from my The First Day of Spring (NYC) post back in March 2012. Well, Eddie (alto saxaphone) pops up again in this video, along with Charles Yang (violin) and Michael Thurber (bass).

These days everything's interactive, including these Brooklyn street performers. They allow the audience to be part of the show, controlling the music being played, and the speed at which it is played, by the donations they make, thus turning the performers into a ‘Human Jukebox’ of sorts.

The money went to Wingspan Arts, a non-profit organization that aims to expose diverse groups of young people to the arts.

It's fun. Enjoy. And sing along at the end.

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The first day of spring (in NYC)

Eddie Barbash

"The first day of Spring," now there's a rubbery concept.

In the USA and some other regions in the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox (currently around the 20th or 21st of March) is often taken to mark the first day of spring. In South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, spring begins on 1 September, and has no relation to the vernal equinox. In Ireland spring traditionally starts on 1 February, St Brigid's Day.

And it gets more complicated the further you examine the question... It's now autumn in the wide brown land, and that's a welcome thought. But it's the first day of spring in New York, and quite a few other places. To celebrate, here's a bit of spontaneous fun from the first day of spring, 2009, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. 

Eddie Barbash and Jesse Scheinin—take it away.

    Eddie Barbash - 2005    Jesse Scheinin    Jonathon Batiste