There is so much talent out there in the world, it often spills into the streets. When ramblers like myself stumble upon buskers like Preyas Roy, I see it as a gift from the universe. A gift I gladly accepted. Preyas obliged my request and filled the busy intersection with the spirit of my favorite Monk composition, “Round Midnight”, his vibraphone overpowering car horns, engines revving, sirens, crowd chatter, ‘L’ trains clattering under your feet and all the noisy paraphernalia that crowd the urban soundscape. In keeping with the ‘blues’ theme of the day, I asked if they–Preyas was now joined by Antoine Washington and Dewan Washington (hope I spelled the names correctly!)–knew any songs with ‘blue’ in the title. Another gift. Captured in the video. Thank you!

Turns out Preyas Roy has quite a following and resume and a slew of youtube videos, as well as an attitude to match his generous playing.

“I play all day. I literally play, then I eat a sandwich and I smoke a cigarette — and then I play some more. That’s what I do all day. I do what I love. It’s awesome. And I really love the intensity of it. All the noise and chaos of being downtown sort of forces you to dig really hard and find the zone. It’s a challenge you wouldn’t have normally onstage if people came to listen to you; you’re sort of automatically focused and everyone is sort of focused for you.”

‘I Do What I Love’: Meet Preyas Roy, ‘Xylophone Guy’, 

Mary Fons, fnewsmagazine, February 13, 2017,.

Here’s also a NPR interview.

 

Walking Project 021_chicago blues pt2 from chris worland on Vimeo.