Eric Pierce, a 2008 Norwalk High graduate, enjoys adding "a little background music" to people's lives. "People that live around here come up to me and say, 'It's so great you bring music to the streets,'" he said.
Pierce used to play guitar in the Norwalk High Jazz Band but picked up the saxophone four years ago. Now, he attends SUNY-Purchase as a jazz studies major.
"Wherever I go, I bring my horn," Pierce said. "I love to play on the street and see what it's like. Berlin, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., wherever I go, I take my horn and play on the street. I really enjoy it. There are so many different people to meet."
Though Pierce plays mostly jazz standards "by the jazz masters" he's looking to modernize his repertoire. And he'll be practicing those new songs for the public to hear.
"I can practice on the street," he said. "A lot of people sit at home in their practice room, and they never get out and play. I can go out there while I practice, and you get rid of a lot of the fear while playing in front of people."
Playing for an audience is his true calling, Pierce said.
"I've always been performing," he said. "It's something I always wanted to do. I just really enjoy doing it."
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
