Book: Hosea Plays On

Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC 

Imagine it’s a bright, sunny day in the middle of the summer. You travel to an open-air market to do your weekly shopping for fruits and vegetables and peruse the stalls of local business owners selling jams, soaps, candles and other miscellaneous items. As you enter the market, you hear the unmistakable sound of an alto saxophone coming from the area of a popular coffee shop. You make your way to the coffee shop and find a crowd of people watching and listening as a man plays his saxophone on the sidewalk. In the city of Rochester, NY this man was Hosea Missouri Taylor Jr.: the musician that inspired Kathleen M. Blasi’s newest storybook Hosea Plays On.

Hosea Plays On tells the story of Hosea Missouri Taylor Jr., a man who frequented the Rochester Public Market and sat outside of a coffee shop in all types of weather to play his saxophone for the market-goers. Blasi’s newest storybook describes how Hosea Taylor played his saxophone at the market to earn money. However, he did not use this money for himself. He used the money to buy instruments for neighborhood children, hoping to pass on to them his love of music. Hosea can be seen paying attention to the smallest of sounds as he travels to and from the market – he hears the music all around him. He does not take a single moment for granted.

At the end of this storybook, there is an author’s note to describe how important Hosea Missouri Taylor Jr. was to the culture of the city of Rochester. The note starts out with a quote from Rochester’s current mayor, Lovely Warren: “There wasn’t a place he went where he didn’t carry his saxophone… It was his ministry. When people probably felt at their lowest, he would come and deliver a song.” Kathleen M. Blasi’s note states:

“Hosea Missouri Taylor Jr. (1948-2016) was a musician and community advocate in Rochester, New York. He played several instruments, including the saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, and flute. In order to help elevate the quality of life for those around him, he shared his passion with countless people, most of them strangers.

As a resident of Rochester, Hosea’s goal was to keep neighborhood kids active in positive ways. Hosea not only purchased instruments for children, he also offered them free music lessons. Every summer, those lessons culminated in a neighborhood parade. Hosea shared his gift with other city residents by playing on the streets and in the City of Rochester Public Market. One of his great joys in life was meeting people, and the Market served as a favorable venue. Many who routinely visited the Market developed relationships with Hosea after hearing his music.

While Hosea and the setting of this story are real, other characters are made up. Nate, the crowd in the marketplace, and Ms. May all embody the spirit of Hosea’s community. In the grief that followed Hosea’s death in February 2016, Evan Lowenstein, one of the Market’s administrators, said: ‘Hosea was awe-inspiring to kids who watched him play. There’s a void without him here.’

And yet, through the people he touched with his generosity, friendship, passion, and joy, Hosea continues to play on.”

When reading this story with your child, feel free to discuss with them Hosea’s story. You can show them a video of Hosea playing his saxophone on one of the downtown streets in Rochester. Discuss with them the importance of being involved in their community and how to spread kindness throughout their day, just like Hosea did when he played for the people at the Public Market. Ask them how they would spread kindness and compassion like Hosea.

If you’re looking for more background information about what inspired the author to write this story, watch this video from Kathleen M. Blasi.

We hope you enjoy reading this storybook with your children this summer! If you wish to purchase this book on Amazon, you can do so here.

Happy reading!