He was playing real good, for free...

Here's a picture of a busker. Joni Mitchell immortalised them in a song, and I have always appreciated their contribution to what can be a very hard hard world out there. Music played with passion and by necessity is often very uplifting. That's what Luis does. He plays uplifting music. For free. Luis is in Lyon right now, but he wasn't here two days ago and he won't be here tomorrow. Luis is from Sevilla and he's taking a break after three days on the road. He's hitch-hiking from Sevilla in Spain to the North of France. A relative up there has found him a job as a truck mechanic. But he didn't leave Sevilla without his instrument, an absolutely magnificent piano accordion. He has played the accordion all his life and he told me that he sleeps with his jacket over it and his head on it to stop it being stolen. I watched him for twenty minutes. He played a wonderful flamenco, a short excerpt of what he said was his version of a piece of music by Stravinsky, a sort of seafaring ballad and, surprisingly, a popular French song. Here he is. Good luck Luis!!

Michael Cosgrove

Say Hi to Luis. He plays real good music. For free. Good luck Luis!!

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If you are a Joni Mitchell fan, here's a live version of 'For Free' which was recorded for the BBC in 1969. Lyrics below. For Free I slept last night in a good hotel I went shopping today for jewels The wind rushed around in the dirty town And the children let out from the schools I was standing on a noisy corner Waiting for the walking green Across the street he stood And he played real good On his clarinet, for free Now me I play for fortunes And those velvet curtain calls Ive got a black limousine And two gentlemen Escorting me to the halls And I play if you have the money Or if you're a friend to me But the one man band By the quick lunch stand He was playing real good, for free Nobody stopped to hear him Though he played so sweet and high They knew he had never Been on their t.v. So they passed his music by I meant to go over and ask for a song Maybe put on a harmony... I heard his refrain As the signal changed He was playing real good, for free