The Washington Post ran this article a while back where violin virtuoso Joshua Bell posed as a street performer and played in a crowded DC Metro station. The author seemed delighted that most people didn't realize that they were quickly walking by one of the greatest violin performances they would ever hear. The writing is a bit smug, but the idea is pretty interesting and it does give us a bit more information on how context and environment affect the way we hear music. Despite Joshua Bell's achievements, he was likely de-legitimized by most people who saw a street performer and chose to block him out. But for those people who were receptive or who didn't have a chance to make that judgment, they were treated to a very unique and intimate performance. Although the "test" wasn't conducted with altruistic motives, it brought art and beauty to a place normally devoid of both of those things and that's kind of powerful in its own right.

When I started thinking about the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and how they often perform on street corners, I was reminded of this AV Club interview with Ian MacKaye. He briefly talked about the problems with playing large venues and how he enjoys the freedom The Evens' softer sound gives him. But The Evens do more than give Ian MacKaye the option of leaving the huge venues behind, it allows him to set up concerts in communities that normally would not have access to his live performances. It reduces the number of people involved in setting up a concert to three: a drummer, a guitarist and whoever owns a room big enough to fit the equipment. For a man who has railed against the dominance of the corporate music industry, those options must seem appealing.

Anyway, there area lot of great things to say about the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. I could go on about how talented they are or how they make jazz more accessible by using a strong beat to establish a easy to recognize groove. But I'm not going to say any of that. The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are great because they play impromptu street performances, keep a very low-fi and personal blog, and just generally make their music a more intimate and more accessible art form. People don't play on streets, or in subway stations for that matter, because they won't receive recognition and because their art is not the focus of people's attention. It's humbling and won't help anyone establish themselves commercially. But music should exist outside of concert halls and it should be made available to groups of people who would not normally hear it. It should challenge us and our perceptions of art. One way to do that is to strip it of all its gloss and present it as is. I just don't think many bands would be up for that challenge.

NY Times video about the group