This article is getting a lot of buzz on the blogs right now.

It's long, but very interesting.

Will people notice the best classical musician playing at a train station ?

Note, the violin he is playing cost $3.5 million.

Washington Post article about Josh Bell (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html)

Cheers. Snade

Amazing. The performance in the clip blew me away. Hardly anyone gave him a second look.

It sure seems to take that journalist a long time to get to the point. Ironically, by the time he gets to describing the lack of reaction to Joshua Bell the street musician, the author of that article has probably lost most of his own audience (readers).

It is amazing to hear someone describe the carefully selected music as "generic classical music". The lack of musical education in our society is appalling beyond measure.

I couldnt load the video,but Im not too hard on the crowd.Who gets to work early enough to even stop for coffee,let alone to listen to a street musician?I know my boss gives me a dirty look if Im late due to traffic,or even a fatal accident.Can you imagine people saying they are a half hour late cause they were listening to a street musician?
When I used to visit London,Id stop for 15 minutes to listen to a good musician or singer in the Subway.But I was usually just out for the day,not on my way to work,or anything important.
Id cut them some slack.
Jimmy

There's also contextual skepticism -- I.E. I wouldn't believe that it was Joshua Bell busking even if he told me. I mean, who would believe that Joshua Bell busks?

Maybe if he showed me his driver's license...

This does not surprise me in the least, as probably the same for you all. Unlike what I like about living in certain locations in the U.S. where people have time to stop and talk and enjoy the simple things in life.

I will debate "the best" as it should be "one of the best", we have a young woman in Baltimore who is every bit as good as Bell, and she plays what is on the score without all the grace notes that Bell throws in. Try playing a J.S.Bach partita, solo violin nearly 20 minutes non-stop, no errors - that is stamina as well as talent. Oh yes, Hilary Hahn is her name, pick up one of her CDs and be enchanted.

...we have a young woman in Baltimore...Hilary Hahn is her name...I concur! My favourite living violinist, and 2nd favourite ever.

She's in Baltimore? Where does she play? I need to look up her schedule and see if I can see her perform live...