On Old Maxwell Street, Saturday, May 15, 1999
by Steve Balkin
Blues jams
weather permitting,
every weekend now.
Jumpin Willie,
and his Fireballs.
nice not too warm
not too cold.
But kind of dusky, could rain.
**
The folk were out
Lot of vendors
Liking to get
their picture taken.
Perfume,
incense,
T-shirts,
God's name on it,
yo yos,
dish towels
in so many colors,
then socks
and socks.
**
But the musicians didn't show,
except Jumpin Willie
and Frank Scott.
Say's jumpin Willie,
waking him
from a sleep
in the van.
"They played last night.
They didn't show today.
They had money
in their pocket
and they tired."
**
Frank brought the band here.
He is Mr. Maxwell Street,
Sonny, Little Sonny,
Frank Scott Jr..
Pat calls him Frank Scot Keys.
He's got a mess of names.
But he doesn't play anymore
except jangling house keys.
It's a soul
filling sound.
Inspires
the musicians.
Caldwell always likes
Frank to play keys.
And the babies,
they loves the keys;
and want to play too.
**
Frank was a drummer,
guitar and harmonica too.
Every Hours Blues Boys,
Freddie King and Jimmie Lee too
was his band,1950s.
Picked cotton in Texas,
sharecropping, done everything.
Making crosses now. So cool.
Maxwell Street crosses.
Sacred symbols for sacred spaces.
Each one different.
Imperfect,
Unfinished,
humble.
Just as we are
Or ought to be.
**
Busses and cameras
Eco Justice conference tour
from Churches all over the nation.
Walking through the warehouse
and the gardens
Yes, they listened.
They wanted to learn.
Taking Save Maxwell sheets
Buying crosses,
a piece of the street,
from Frank.
Some really knew
Others not a clue.
**
Carolyn come down.
Boy was she pissed off.
Came down from the
mid West Side
in her man's car,
hoping for
human
connection.
teasing,
music,
dancing.
Roosevelt, her man,
died
6 months ago.
They've been together
for 19 years.
Cancer it was,
racked all though
his body,
his organs.
She lit a candle
and prayed to God.
Let him come home.
Give me
the strength
to take care of him.
They put machines
in her house
and she took care
of him to the end.
She's sad.
Tears in her eyes,
some fear
but she's rooted.
**
Disappointed
not to hear
the live blues
today.
"Ummmm, on Kedzie and Jackson,
these big ass women
know how to dance.
Wiggle wiggle.
Let's get the people dancin.
I told these Blues women
to come here.
Blues is not just a music.
I can hear the music at home.
It gettin together. Havin fun together.
Outside on the street.
**
Carolyn sold
in the old
market?
"I hustled, I had a still
and made
corn whiskey.
Oh shit,
when I had nothing,
really nothing.
I would come down
here to Maxwell Street.
I'd be able
to pick up stuff.
Left over stuff, vegetables.
And people would
give me stuff too.
They knew me.
People would take care of me.
But I had to figure away to get here."
**
Got any buttons,
video of me
pictures of me.
I had but not with me.
**
Merlyn, the Mayor
of Maxwell Street
comes by.
Jewish and Irish.
Can I be your vice mayor
or the mayor of vice?
"You can be a vihsa mayor.
A Yiddish pun.
Merlyn is a care taker.
He takes care of the street, cleans it,
watches it.
Always taking to Streets and San.
He also gets along, part of the people.
Living right on Maxwell Street.
Sees Cassandra walking on Halsted.
She's eating french fries.
A pretty little lady
Time for picture.
Merlyn kisses her,
a friendly kiss.
She's friends with Tasha.
"Don't tell Tasha, Merlyn's wife.
It's Ok. It was just friendly
for a good picture."
**
Bahai Abdul comes by.
Selling incense and beads.
"It's my dad's birthday.
May 18, 1918, from Arkansas.
Came to Maxwell
Street in 1922.
(noises from behind us;
came here in the 1940s).
He sold pops,
peanuts,
shoeshine,
delivered Coal,
a tailor, put buttons on.
He's been around the world.
He loves Maxwell Street.
He's getting weaker.
Maybe his last year.
**
Willie, the fruit vendor
out of his car.
A vegie dollar store
on wheels.
A southern gentleman,
a Maxwell Street veteran.
Worrying about
Maxwell Street:
"If they make us unwelcome,
people are not going to buy."
Bahai gave him a dollar
And got cukes and tomatoes.
You know, just what I gave you, the dollar.
"Yes, you did"
Oh yes. I have a lot of respect for you."
And I respect you.
I bought cucumbers too.
I'll take a dollars worth.
Ok Stop, enough,
How about Tomatoes too.
Making sure.
People got their money's worth.
Relationship face-to-face capitalism.
Inefficient, some say
but the it the kind that works.
**
End of the day,
the family,
two sons.
God Side cap.
Across the street,
by Adams Joseph,
a man yellin at me.
My seat belt is stickin out.
strangers they help you here.
Nate Duncan said
"you're a stranger here
only once".
I hate to leave.
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