-- forwarded message, please reply to sender and MMD --

Hello -- I found myself in the realm of mechanical music machines
after looking on the Web for some calliope sound files.  I am not
well-versed on this topic, and I wonder if anyone knows about the
machine and gentleman I will describe here.

I have encountered a lot of "street music" in many cities around the
world -- this was one of the most evocative of these experiences.
I don't know if you're familiar with St-Denis; it is a large pedestrian
area in Montreal, with many restaurants, galleries and much street
life.  I heard the sound of this machine from across the square, and
it seemed to be an old circus beckoning across time.  (It was a misty
night, and some wine was involved...)

I followed the sound to find a large crowd of locals really having
a ball, and each new tune seemed to bring them back to some beautiful
memory of simple times past.  A fellow was playing a mechanical music
device unlike any I had seen.  It had perforated cardboard panels,
perhaps 10" x 15", connected end-to-end, that folded over as he played
each successive "page" in a comb-like (?) system to play the tunes.

A crowd of older French-Canadians was gathered around, and as he began
each new tune, they fairly swooned, as if these were long-lost songs
from their childhood.

When he took a break, I had a conversation with him (in my rudimentary
French).  He told me he divides the year, spending four months of each
year in Montreal, in Paris, and in Brussels.  He has regular locations
in each city, and this is his only source of income.

I have always thought a web site for street music would be interesting.
This guy was quite a show, and would have made a great 30-minute
PBS-style film.

Has anyone else seen this man, or know about the machine he plays?
Any info, photos or links would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ron Rothenberg