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SANTA%u2019S CORNER FACTORY OUTLETEntrance on Congress, west of Hicks St.(Look for Santa sitting on top of buildingNOW OPEN718*852*7101Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9-5; Sat. 10-3* JR 11l a l i f t a yI1III %u2022 %u2022lazaarG i f t s a n d C r a f t sC o u n t r y K i t c h e nC l o t h i n g & B o o k sC o l l e c t i b l e s10 a m - 5 p mg23i1Ii11P%u00abWKtf'liom1 p m & 3 p mS 1(Enurprt of tSfnlibay ittuair |5 p mf r e eDmmlipr 13, 198BIrnoklyu Jflripuha Srbunl| 3?5 $fearl %u00a7t.Sm* ju s t o f f W i l l o u g h b y S t . b e t w e e n J a y a n d A d a m sPage 6, TH E P H O E N IX , D ecem ber 11, 198611i1I1Ken Sim on and th e Inspiration opened th e M T A %u2019s M usic U nder N ew Y ork program inB rooklyn%u2019s A tlan tic A venue subw ay statio n . The q u in tet soothed th e jang led nerves of rush,hour crow ds w ith th ree hours o f m ellow jazz. (P h oenix/N euberger Photo)Music Down Under Does A Lot ToSoothe The Savage Subway BeastBY MARY JO NEUBERGERWeary commuters on their way homethrough Brooklyn%u2019s Atlantic Avenue subwaystation complex last week got a pleasant surprise on Tuesday. As they stepped off thetrains from Manhattan, above the customarydin of screeching wheels and creaking turnstiles, the strains of music could be heard.The cavernous station complex which connects the Long Island Railroad%u2019s Flatbushterminal and four subway lines was the siteof a rush-hour concert. Some commuterswere surprised, some were confused, but theoverall consensus was one of pleasure.Those who followed the music to its sourcefound Ken Simon and the Inspirations, a fivepiece band. The quintet had set up shop in acul-de-sac off an underground passage between the IRT and the BMT lines and stayedto p la y ttiree hours of classic ja z z to thedelight of hundreds of passersby. Even theTransit Police could relax and enjoy. Therewere no laws being broken, because, for achange, the musicians were playing with theapproval of the Metropolitan TransportationAuthority. (MTA)The evening marked Brooklyn%u2019s inauguralperformance of the Transit Authority%u2019sMusic Under New York program, which willtreat subway riders to the sounds of music atfour locations around the city every week dayfrom 1 to 4pm and from 4 to 7pm. With thehelp of a $75,000 grant from General Electric,MTA%u2019s Arts for Transit Office will coordinate20,000 hours of jazz, folk, bluegrass andclassical music over the next year. Started asa four-month experiment in 1985, the program was such a success that it prompted asearch for sponsorship and a decision torenew the music for the next year, accordingto Doris Gonzalez-Ught of the MTA.For those rushing through Atlantic AvenueTuesday night, the jazz music warranted only a hurried sidelong glance. But for manyothers, it provided a relaxing end to a longday. like children in the trance of the PiedPiper, 30 people at a time took their placesalong the corridor walls of the station. WallStreeters and construction workers alikelistened with rapt attention.%u201cI love jazz,%u201d said Arvon, one Brooklynitereturning from a day of laying bricks inManhattan. %u201cI play the drums for calypsoand reggae bands, but I like jazz, too. It keepsthe places lively,%u201d he continued.Another commuter also approved of thegenre of music the MTA had selected. John,who describes himself as a %u201ctypical commuter,%u201d was relieved the choice was mellowjazz. %u201cIt%u2019s nice music. There%u2019s alreadyenough noise in the subway,%u201d he said. Smiling, he called to his fellow travelers, %u201cHey,take three minutes out. Relax!%u201dLinda from Midwood cheered MTA%u2019s program, even if it delayed her commute fromthe Bronx to Midwood by half an hour. %u201cIt%u2019swonderful,%u201d she said, %u201cAt least they don%u2019tchase them away like they do on the streets.%u201dCommenting that the band was good enoughto play in clubs, she said, %u201cI guess everythingcan%u2019t be for money. It%u2019s good to givesomething spiritual back to the people.%u201dThe success of Ken Simon and the Inspira-/ guess everything can *t befor money. It's good to givesomething spiritual back tothe people.tions is contingent on gaining this kind ofgoodwill from their listeners. Like all theother musicians the MTA will schedule forperformances, their sole source of incomewill be the generosity of their audience. According to Gonzalez-Light, the $75,000 grantfrom General Electric is earmarked for promoting the program and hiring a consultantto audition and schedule the performers.Tuesday%u2019s gig seemed moderatelylucrative for the jazz players, although likemost street musicians, most of their moneycomes not from passive solicitation, but frompassing the hat. They get some help fromtheir audience, however, with some showingtheir support openly by vocally encouragingother contributors. Most listeners were morediscreet, dipping surreptitiously into coatpockets for spare quarters.Overall, the performance was a crowdpleaser, serving to help tame the savagebeast of the day. Each enjoyed the music intheir own way, with some breaking into whistle and dancing. For others, after the hustleof a hard day%u2019s work, a few words were allthey could muster, like Ted of Long Island,who just smiled and said, %u201cNice, very nice.%u201dLEVOLORWOODBLINDS50%OFFwmsmiKrartTn Park Slop%u00a9145 7thA ve.Bklyrfc isIY 11215W 6 -1 5 5 Q