Music the Central Park Way

Take a walk through Central Park and you are bound to see sights unexpected. But it is the sounds you hear that are truly startling.

Each weekend (and many a weekday) musical artists of all kinds flock to the park and congregate to jam, bam and wail in the open air. Taking a walk today in the oppressive heat, I heard African drums, super funk, New Orleans jazz, electro pop, forceful folk and world sounds. Some nights the park has offered up symphonies and sounds more classical. Most impromptu concerts are free, or solicit only a small donation, so anyone can listen in. With more musicians per square foot than just about anywhere else in the world, NYC offers a level of tune talent that amazes time and again.

Check out the Summer Stage, NY Philharmonic in the Park and other more scheduled concerts. Upcoming acts include Crosby, Stills and Nash, Mark Knopfler, and other funkier stuff that I'm just not hip enough to recognize.

NYC Sound Tracks: Searching for the Best Underground Sounds

As a sometimes weary, daily NYC subway commuter, I am ever grateful for the subway musicians that break up my journey with talent I'd pay money for in a club. So it was nice to get word on a new show, MSG's NYC Sound Tracks. This eight episode series goes underground into the subways of NYC to find New York's best subway musicians. 16 musicians from all 5 boroughs will compete for the title, and the viewers will have a chance to vote for their favorite. Watch NYC Sound Tracks Sunday, July 13 at 8:00 p.m.

NYC Sound Tracks will be holding an open call on Tuesday, July 15 for underground talent from noon to 4PM at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan. The “Open Call” is a chance for any and all subway musicians to audition in public to be one the 16 finalists for the show.

For more information about NYC Sound Tracks, including more info on the open call, photos and trailers, visit www.msg.com/soundtracks. I'll be interested in checking out the winner's music - below or above ground.