European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Downtown Brooklyn to grand % Brooklyn Vilii at 34 is 77meodutte can a pretty Good Down there except when trains Ore coming in. H foetal rain on you. The subway to a step up from the  tuned in to the subway by William a Geist new York times Here is often a Man on Board he f train in Manhattan who plays the saxophone so atrociously almost cruelly really thai subway riders pay the Man who says he hails trom wars to Slop. Fans of a jazz and blues group called Chicken wings pay the subway Are just to come into the stations to hear the sin member combo. The metropolitan transportation authority Herd auditions recently Tor musicians who wanted to play in the subway in effect institutionalizing the Long standing custom of musicians playing in to new York subway system. For one thing the Meta As the authority is known Hopes to raise the level of play although officials Are certain that Many unsanctioned musicians such As the Man from Mars will continue to play. Auditioning to play in the subways said Alvin Stythe laughing As he waited to audition with his Trio. Ain l new York something there Are so Many great musicians in now York he said that instead of competing for club Dales and concert Halls they re fighting for Good Street Corners end subway  the Talent Pool is phenomenal said Bob Rogers. Rogers is in charge of the program which is called music under new York. He listened to about 63 acts at symphony space a Manhattan performing arts Center. Where a similar number is auditioning this month. Erma Bombeck the musicians included one Man playing the cajun Ceto which he made out of boxes another playing tha bagpipes and the jew s Harp and another playing the keyboard and trumpet at the same time. Graseck a graduate of the prestigious Juilliard school auditioned too playing some Mozart Rimsky Korsakov and Sara Sale. He was preceded by a blues Trio consisting of two guitarists in bib overalls and a woman in a Tambourine equipped wheelchair. The sanctioned musicians will play at so subway Blains they will not to paid by the transit authority by they May keep All donations. The program was tested on a limited basis earlier. Veteran tub mray Mut Daru in line for the auditions noted thai there were Many aide benefits such us meeting people who Are looking for musicians to play for their parties and sometimes producers composers and other Talent scouts. I was booked for to Woof Broadway plays by  said Valerie Naranjo a Marimba player. Ana it can be so much fun Sard Carey Monet Johnson who plays the keyboard at grand Central Tormina. People come up and sing with me. Tourists take my picture. And people dance even the Fox Trot right there in the  the people get involved listening to the music he said and then they All run for their train at the same time which makes the transit police come running to see if someone is Hurt or something. They figure it was something bad happening again but i Tell them no something  Bob Demeo the Chicken wings drummer said. You gotta be Good to made new yorkers Stop on their Way to a train or of  Tho subway is not a bad gig said Alra Lex Rico Leader of that group. We even make Moro Money in some stations than we do in a club. We can make As much As 120 apiece in an hour which is what some clubs pay us for doing three sets 1 the acoustics can be pretty Good Down there Loc fico added except when trains Are coming in. It does t rain on you. The subway is a step up from he  Many of the musicians said that they had come to enjoy playing in the strolls and subway stations More than in clubs or concert Halls. In concert Halls people Are too critical and analytical to enjoy themselves said Roy Campbell who plays trumpet and Flugel Hom in Chicken wings. When i Tell my Parent i m playing in the subways they think i m nuts said Naranjo who holds a master s degree in music and plays a 7-fool, 145 Pound Marimba. She has difficulty catching taxis As we As difficulty carrying the instrument up and Down the stairs of subway stations. But. Then some piano players asked or auditions too. Surprisingly none of the musicians had any tales of woe to Tell about playing in the subways no muggings no robberies nothing i think the music really does soothe people said Dewey. This is All aimed of course Rogers said at making riders think the Meta is  hearing thai one musician remarked i m a mus Ician not a  in the minds the minds of women fatherhood used to be considered a part time Job. It was something men did at the end of the Day in Between parking the car for the night and going to bed. As a matter of fact it has just been within the last 10 years or so that it has been included in men s resumes. It is now something that commands some respect. Children used to go through Lite waiting for that dreaded threat to materialize just Wail till your father gels Home when a got there he was always a bit of an Enigma what did you know about the Man. Really he paid All the tight Bills. You knew that because he told you so his talents were specialized. They included putting film in the camera picking up prescriptions from the drugstore bringing the car around to the door when it was pouring rain putting Christmas tree lights on the top branches and he was the Only one in Tho House who Coord use a curse wore1 and not gel his Mouth washed out with soap. When there was a Knock on the door Laid at night everyone looked to him to answer ii. If he had a problem children never knew about it. H he cried they never saw it. It he screwed up they never heard about it. Sometimes it seemed he was t so much your father As he was your Mother s husband. He never got the egg with the broken Yolk. He got the newspaper before anyone Tore i apart. When he was taking a Nap everyone went around in stocking feet. On vacations the car never stopped until he was hungry or had to go to the bathroom. He was the supreme court of family discipline. His word was final. There were no appeals. This included everything from going away to school to getting the car on saturday night to washing your hair alter mid ugh in the Winter. And yet. He had a special place in the family that was unique. There were some things you could discuss Only with him because a had the advantage of distance. With less exposure to you he saw you differently than your Mother saw you you could Tell him secrets and he would keep ihem.,. Leil him your dreams and he would t look at you and Tell you you had to Dean your room Tirol. Because he did t talk a lol when he did you listened when he was t Al Nome there was no family until he got there. A new generation of fathers is emerging who want to do More than replace Luses and sign checks for the orthodontist. They Don t want to be spectators or reigning monarchs Over a family. They want to be equal partners in i. They be even stepped up their hours. This is healthy they May lose Soma of the mystique but they la be More than paid for the extra hours. A los Angeles times Syndicate Page 16 the stars and stripes saturday june 20.1987