By Jennifer Johnson

he faint sounds of a saxophone rise from the entrance of the 59th Street subway station. As one walks down the stairs toward the platform, the roar of taxis and buses subsides, and the saxophone gains intensity. Inside, commuters gather to listen to Ashley Paul, the petite woman who sways back and forth as she runs her fingers up and down the instrument. One fan even stops to take her picture.

View a photo gallery of subway performers.

Paul has been playing her saxophone along the Broadway local subway line since she moved to New York five months ago. She only plays about four hours a day, splitting her time between several stops.

Paul is one of hundreds of artists in the city who have transformed the subway platform into their stage and turned the commuters into their audience. For the price of a subway token, anyone gets a free concert, whether they want it or not.

Paul, who attended the New England Conservatory in Boston, has been playing the saxophone for 13 years. Her subway performances usually last about two hours because, she said, that's how long she can usually go before her stomach starts to growl or she has to use the loo.

"It's how I practice and how I pay my rent," she said. "When I'm not playing a gig, I do this."

At the Times Square station, a spot many street musicians vie for, William Ruiz, 35, can be found playing the log drum - a Puerto Rican instrument made of a hollowed-out tree log. Ruiz, who performs everything from free jazz to West African music, prefers the way his music sounds in the subway's tunnels.

"The acoustics here in the subway is much better than up there in open air," Ruiz said. "The tones are richer. And I do not need to bring ... an amplifier nor a PA system here in the subway."

He said he does it to make people's ride a little easier.

"People hate the platform. So I give them relaxing music that will take their minds off the platform. Give them something to feel good about," he said. "The music that will work here on the platform are those that give positive vibes."

In days of single-digit temperatures and slushy sidewalks, warmth tops the artists' list when considering a performance spot.

Paul, who wears black gloves with the fingertips cut off, admits she chose the Columbus Circle location because of its temperature.

"It's pretty warm here," she said.

PHOTO: Noel Pangilinan

William Ruiz plays the log drum on the Times Square platform.

The nickels and dimes that get thrown the performers' way make up for the chilly air in the stations and the constant interruptions from passing trains. Paul said she makes about $30 an hour, not including the money she makes from her CDs, which she sells for $5 out of her saxophone case.

But not everyone brings in as much as Paul. Larry Wilson, who plays the electric bass guitar along the N/W/R line has seen days when he barely covered the cost of his MetroCard.

"If the money's bad ...," said Wilson, who has played in jazz and R&B bands in New York. "I cut my losses."

Next article: The City's Song

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