The Pilgrim St. Set @ Hoochie Coochie. June 11

Richard Burns (tpt); Gary Turner (ten); Paul Edis (keys); Paul Susans (bs gtr); Rob Walker (dms).

(Review by Lance).

Jazz has all those wonderful train songs - A Train; 9:20 Special: Midnight and Chattanooga Choo Choos; Happy Go Lucky Local; Night Train - there's probably been more trains captured on manuscript than you could find in a 1938 edition of Bradshaw's. But, what about the bus? How many of the great tunesmiths have used the humble omnibus as, not only an affordable form of transport, but as a vehicle for their compositional skills? Apart from a twee effort by Flanders and Swann - A Transport of Delight - some years ago, I can't think of any - until last night that is.

Last night, the Pilgrim St. Set played a Richard Burns opus entitled Number 1 - the trumpet player confirmed that it was about a bus. 

Well, the Number One bus runs from Slatyford to Four Lane Ends and (if you're lucky) back again. Burns' portrayal of this route had it all. The stops and starts, the change of tempo, the blast by Gary who exceeded the speed limit - in fact all that was missing were the teenage mums and their buggies!
Superb solos all round.

Apart from this plug for Stagecoach, there were many more, mainly original works by the 'Set', causing us to beg the question as to why the band aren't heard elsewhere and I don't just mean Newcastle - their pedigree is such that they deserve to be heard throughout the land!
Jazz, Funk, Free - you name it - it's there!
Catch them on the second Thursday of each month - next one July 9.
Lance.