CHICAGO — Listen closely at the intersection of Belmont, Lincoln, and Ashland in Lake View, and the City of Chicago becomes a symphony with buses, bikes, and babies all part of the ensemble.
“You’ve got people walking by, cars and everything,” said Marilyn Estrada.
But J.P. Bader is adding an instrument that will let the good times roll – a 600-pound piano.
“I built this to be remote controlled,” Bader said. “Most people are just aghast. Their jaw is slack, and they are like, ‘What is that? Really? He’s driving a piano?”
He is the “drive by pianist,” parking his piano – painted in Dr. Suess style — on a corner and posting simple instructions on the piano: Please play me.
“I’m just a music lover,” Bader said. “I have an affinity, a passion – some may call it an obsession – with pianos.”
Bader, 45, is also a classically trained pianist, but his goal is for the people to play.
“It’s not about me playing the piano,” he said. “It’s now about getting other people who can.”
Before anyone plays notes, there a number of “nos.” But soon enough, curious people start to play.
“I played the hokey pokey,” said Bryan Witry.
Mary Stonor Saunders played a duet of “Heart and Soul” with Bader.
“I haven’t done that since I was ten,” she said.
Others get quick lunchtime lessons.
“I have no clue how to play the piano,” said Alyssa Nelson, one of the drive-by piano players. Soon she was playing the first chords of “The Entertainer.”
“Reach a little higher and we’re just going to go same fingers down,” Bader told her. “You’re a pro.”
Marilyn Estrada has never played, but still managed to make music.
“Because it’s there,” she said. “I will never have that experience again, you know?”
It’s all part of a performance art project. Bader received a grant from the Lake View special service area – a sort of neighborhood chamber of commerce – to engage pedestrians with his piano.
He is recording the spontaneous joy, and the stories of those who stop.
“It’s about capturing your stories,” he said. “We are Chicago. Let’s hear what you got.”
You can see more of on the Drive By Pianist Instagram account.