Jazz - Bill’s Bones

Brighton-based Scotsman Bill Guy has been playing trombone since he was a young man, including a spell with the famous Syd Dean Band at the Regent Ballroom in Brighton in the 60’s. He left the area for a while, and when he came back in the 80’s he started up a trombone band, in order to help young trombonists get jazz gigs. “Then one or two more experienced musicians became interested,” he recalls: “the likes of Jasper Franklin and Paul Busby, who started to write compositions for the group. The result is Bill’s Bones, a group of ex pros which meets regularly and plays in public a few times a year.”

“You could call us a small big band,” he continues. “The trombone is a very versatile instrument which can be made to sound like a sax section or trumpets.” Busby has written an original composition, just for the gig. “It’s called ‘Friars Walk,’” says Bill, “which of course is the name of the road the All Saints is on. But it’s subtitled ‘and sometimes they skip’, and you can see why when you hear it.” Special guest tonight is the highly popular and well respected Horsham-based trumpeter Freddie Woods, who will be leading a couple of numbers in each half of the set. “The sound will be interesting for jazz aficionados, but accessible to everyone,” says Guy. “Some of the tunes will be arrangements of jazz classics which everyone will recognise.” Five trombones, a baritone horn, a trumpet, a valve trombone and a flugal horn. Should be a blast. AG