Buskers, street performers, musicians. Sometimes they are just sharing a few tunes as they move through the town with their instruments, sometimes the hat is clearly turned up and set beside them for passers-by to fill, and sometimes--that one in a million--is the kind of unique prodigy that becomes the subject of articles, a book, and a movie. more ›

Homeless musician Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, the subject of the book and film The Soloist, has recorded his first album, and today LA Times columnist and longtime advocate of Ayers Steve Lopez tells the story of the tenuous process. more ›

LAist met Robert Vijay Gupta at a show in November at a Casual Friday concert where the LA Philharmonic played an Alban Berg violin concerto with Gil Shaham and a Mozart Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter". Then when the audience was invited to stay after for a discussion of the music, we learned that Dudamel could play the theme from the Simpsons on violin and that the deep respect between Gupta, Shaham, and Dudamel has an authenticity that makes everyone envy not only their talent, but the deep bond that is formed between great musicians who play together. To make the evening even more magical, later in the lobby, we met Robert Gupta and shamelessly asked for to come to rehearsal and interview him. more ›

If you haven't read LA Times columnist Steve Lopez' book, The Soloist, it comes with a high recommendation. And if you're a fan of reading books before the movie version comes out, then you've got to November 21st. more ›