Ann Arbor pianist has been offering free public concerts since COVID

This story is part of a series about arts and culture in Washtenaw County. It is made possible by the Ann Arbor Art Center, Destination Ann Arbor, Larry and Lucie Nisson, the University of Michigan Arts Initiative, and the University Musical Society.

Ann Arbor boogie-woogie pianist and performer Mark Braun, known professionally as Mr. B, has been playing his piano-on-a-bicycle weekly at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market since the COVID-19 pandemic limited opportunities for live music.

For Braun, these free shows are about encountering people outside the conventional performance environment, something he’s also done at the Ann Arbor Art Fair for more than 40 years.

“It’s one of my favorite ways to be close to people in an unusual setting, free of the strictures of other environments,” Braun says. “When you play music for people in unexpected places, it’s a special atmosphere that creates some really great moments. I have a great time playing music for people who love it.”

Anyone can stop and listen to his music at the market, which is important to Braun. Other seasoned performers are known to join him on instruments such as the tambourine.

“I appreciate giving a little gift of music to someone in the moment who hasn’t signed up for it — hasn’t bought a ticket,” Braun says. “They might stop and hear me talk about a pianist who was born in 1906. I knew a number of people from that era extremely well. I will talk about that to people when they pass by.”

For Braun, making music in unexpected places is a personal tradition that has its own rewards.

“I’ve ridden my piano 3,400 miles and played in the oddest places where you wouldn’t expect to see a piano,” he says. “I enjoy seeing the pleasure it can bring to the listener. That’s the benefit of being a musician when you make it your profession. When you get to play for people and see how you can elevate their mood, you realize it’s really worthwhile. I want to do this for as long as my body can hold up.”

As for community response, Braun notes that most people nod and smile as they pass. A lot of people stop and really enjoy the music. 

“It’s about improving the space you’re in,” he says. “Anyone can do that: surgeon, math teacher, athlete. I see it as just giving of yourself in whatever it is that you love to do.”

The Flint native has been playing music professionally since he was 18 years old. He also runs a nonprofit, Mr. B’s Joybox Express, which raises funds for organizations that work to expand access to music and music education. Braun says the organization is “on the verge of making a commitment” to a new project in Ann Arbor, potentially beginning in fall 2027. 

He says the nonprofit’s approach is open-ended. Its last project involved giving $100,000 to YouthQuest, an afterschool enrichment program in Flint.

“We might pull up in a small town and form a partnership with any group that wants to improve any aspect of their community – anything that is good work where people want to gather and listen to a concert with every penny going to that organization,” Braun says. 

Performing at the Ann Arbor Farmers market fits in with Braun’s overall approach to sharing music. 

“This is the kind of playing I want to do because it feels so good,” he says. “It’s not in a vacuum, to bring music in unexpected places for free for those who pass by. I appreciate seeing them smile and that look of astonishment when they stop by and enjoy.”

You can catch Mr. B live at around 6 p.m. during the warm months on Fridays or Saturdays at the corner of Detroit and Catherine, or nearby under the corner roof of the market. Show details are available on Braun’s Facebook.