Posted on 2022-09-14

The Busker

"The Busker" is both a musical composition and a piece of musical theatre for solo trombone. The piece must be memorized because the busker must seem to be imporvising the music on the spot.

The busker walks to center stage, carrying a trombone case and a folding chair, puts the trombone case front stage center and sets the chair up to one side. The busker then opens the case, takes out a plunger mute and sets it on the chair, pulls out the trombone and makes it ready to play, setting the case in front, open to receive tips.

The busker begins by playing bebop style free jazz. After a few minutes that comes to a cadence and the busker stomps a foot four times in beat, 1 2 3 4, while picking up the plunger mute from the chair. Then the busker shifts to the blues using the plunger mute, tongue flutters, and glisses. Without pausing the plunger mute drops into the case and the busker returns to the bebop style free jazz taking it to a final cadence.

The busker nods to the imaginary audience onstage thanking them for their tips saying things like "Every little bit helps" and "Yes indeed, thank you very much" also acknowledging applause from the audience and if anyone in the audience leaves a tip they get a great big, thanks for playing along, smile.

The busker then sits in the chair and starts playing arpeggios and scale fragments. This piece sounds like an exercise but it should seem like improvisation. It should also grow into a song without ever revealing a melody.

After finishing the busker stands and goes through the same routine accepting tips from an imaginary audience onstage and acknowledging the real audience in the hall.

Then still standing, the busker starts a rousing rendition of "Back Home In Indiana" marching band style which soon deconstructs through different keys and scales. After the deconstruction has obscured the original melody he starts inserting phrases from "Donna Lee". And then, in the style of Charles Ives, he starts inserting fragments from the marching band version of "Back Home In Indiana".

After concluding the busker smiles broadly at the audience and takes a bow. The busker leans over the trombone case, pocketing the tips, puts up the horn and mute, folds up the chair, and exits with a last nod and smile for the audience.