Broadway Rhythm in Midtown, NYC: Free Lunchtime Sets by MTA Subway Musicians

Broadway Rhythm is a free outdoor concert series in Midtown Manhattan's Garment District. It is presented by the Garment District Alliance, the not-for-profit that looks after the neighborhood, and the performers come from MTA Music Under New York, the program behind the city's subway-station musicians.

The shows take place on the Broadway plazas between West 39th and 40th Streets. They run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2pm, a slot built around the lunch hour, and admission is free.

The official schedule covers a wide range of styles. Brass bands such as Dingonek Street Band and Trojan Horns Brass Band appear alongside classical players from Diverse Concert Artists, jazz from The Robert Anderson Jazz Band, and a mix of singer-songwriters and a dance group. Each act is linked to its own site or social page on the Alliance's listing.

Today, October 22, the slot belongs to Galdort Gumbo & the Righteous Cats, a five-piece band. The same schedule also lists The Meetles on October 27 and Afrikumba Utibé Drummers on October 29.

For visitors from Japan, the series is a chance to hear the musicians who usually play on subway platforms in a set-aside outdoor setting, with seating on the plaza. It sits in the middle of Midtown, close to the area's offices and lunch spots.

Location: Broadway between W. 39th and 40th Sts., Manhattan. Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon to 2pm. Price: free.