Gifrants
Subway Sensation
Writing music to make a living is often the pipe dream of guitar wielding, drum-beating artists
everywhere. The fortune to be "discovered" is graced upon few, and paying the bills by playing
in orchestra pits and coffee shops is hard to realize. However, there are some people who possess
the drive and the persistence to get themselves heard. On street corners and in subway stations,
street musicians (or "buskers") make themselves heard with only an open case full of dollars and
dimes to justify their audience's approval.
One such musician is a regular fixture in the Harvard Station T stop in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Gifrants, who was born in Haiti and immigrated to the United States in 1982, graces the ears of
his listening public by offering an aesthetic escape from the hectic rush hour.
Upon first encounter, Gifrants solo guitar and vocals with the warm sound of the Caribbean is a
surprise and perhaps a short diversion for the average commuter. The sound is so intoxicating,
though, that one finds themselves looking for him again, hoping when they roll in to the station
that they will hear his familiar bossa nova tempo and mysterious Haitian Creole lyrics filling
the air. When lucky enough to see him again (and you will, he is a regular performer at the
Outbound platform) you've got the $10 for his CD saved in your pocket and it's all you'll listen
to for the next two weeks straight.
It's not enough, as a busker, to just appear here and there when it works for you. Gifrants
regular appearances along the red line train stations create a sense of community in his fan
base. At his myspace page,
his comments suggest a dedication among
the small group of people who have taken the time to learn the name of the man who puts art
in their day where it wouldn't otherwise be. Favorite track on myspace? The emotion-filled
"Sa Nou Blye Nou Pap Fe" hands down. Turn up the volume when you're listening to get the full effect.
Elsewhere, you can find Gifrants' music for sale at his website:
www.gifrants.com.
Reviewed 05/28/08