After Neighbors Complain, Judge Tells Saxophonist to Get Quiet or Get Gone

Thirty years ago Manhattan Plaza opened its doors in Hell's Kitchen as an affordable, rent-subsidized haven for artists like respected saxophonist David Schnitter.

But Schnitter now may be on the verge of eviction, he says, thanks to neighbors who no longer embrace the vibrant spirit of the midtown apartment complex.

Schnitter, 59, has been ordered by an administrative law judge to put a sock in his horn. After noise complaints, he is banned from practicing in his 20th-floor apartment. If he doesn't comply, he's out in the street.

“I cannot hone my craft, and it will probably affect my earning a living," said Schnitter, who recently returned from a tour in Spain and performs for the Sunday brunch crowd at Iridium.

“This building was given to artists, actors and musicians, but now the yuppies are less tolerant of creative artists," he said.

Complaints about Schnitter started around 2004, alleging he made excessive noise and fed pigeons from his terrace. Upstairs tenant David Fries complained that Schnitter “often plays either the same note or the same scale over and over again for 40 minutes," according to court papers.

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