This street musician is one cool character… some of my most popular pictures this year were posted in March called Sunday Jazz on a Tuesday, courtesy of this sweet jazz fellow, and I’ve always wondered about him since… I wanted to hear him play again, know more about him, and tell him that people have contacted me to purchase his portraits.

So in between two family shoots and a wedding yesterday, I ran over with my camera to the Farmer’s Market in the Palisades to try my luck… Would that jazz player be there?

After a first walk around I didn’t see him, and then just as I was about to leave… he turns the corner with his sax case!  I ran up to him like a gushing teenaged fan, rambling about how happy I am to see him, how everyone loves his pictures, asking what’s his name, etc… and this poor shy guy just smiles modestly and answers quietly, Oh thank you… It’s Billy… That’s nice… And he keeps walking.  Woops, lol, I think I frightened him.  But that didn’t stop him from setting up and belting out the smoothest notes and the sweetest songs… real “tearjerkers” sighed the lady next to me.  And I just let the lovely fall day and this man’s beautiful music stop me in my busy day and mellow me the heck out 🙂

Back by popular demand and without further ado, here’s Billy…

Oooooooh… the sweet and the slow notes.

“Pavement Portrait: Street Musician”

And of course, such character begs for a close-up…