NYC Music Trail

NYC Music Trail: Scott Joplin's Grave Site

7.19.12 at 7:30am by Jake Neher

Scott Joplin lived anything but a quiet life. The "King of Ragtime" - as he'd later be called - started making a name for himself while performing in brothels across the country.

He wrote pieces many critics call "revolutionary." They include famous ragtime tunes like "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer." But with all the "sites of sound" along the New York City Music Trail, the one honoring Joplin is the only one that's almost always silent.

NYC Music Trail: Swing Street (with Slideshow)

7.18.12 at 7:30am by Jake Neher

Today, 52nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues in Midtown Manhattan is nothing but skyscrapers. People come here to work, do some banking, or have a $5 cup of coffee. But for much of the first half of the 20th Century, this was where you went to hear the best jazz musicians in the world.

NYC Music Trail: Erasmus Hall High School (w/ Slideshow)

7.17.12 at 7:30am by Jake Neher

Historian Ron Schweiger inside Erasmus auditorium

Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School in Flatbush has never been a special school for the gifted. Yet dozens of famous musicians and other celebrities once walked these halls as students. They include people like Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, and Stephanie Mills.

NYC Music Trail: Mandolin Brothers

7.16.12 at 7:30am by Jake Neher

When you walk into Mandolin Brothers music shop, you're standing right in the middle of founder Stan Jay's office. He's often there to greet you and show you around the store. Mandolin Brothers, which sits in the heart of Staten Island, specializes in buying and selling high-end fretted acoustic instruments like guitars, banjos, and - of course - mandolins. But Jay says these aren't the kind of instruments you could find in just any store.