Harmony propelled the B4 bus downtown Saturday, along with some tapping toes.
The extra energy came from a band of horn players in the back.
They set up as part of an annual arts road trip organized by the Arts Council of Greater New Haven: Exact Change, in which local performers perform for riders on routes throughout the area. Saturday’s was the sixth annual event.
A local group called the Kings Band of Harmony performed on the B4 ride along Whalley Avenue in Westville into downtown. Click on the video to ride along.
Parker Collins Photo
“I’ve been waiting all week for this,” said B4 rider/ audience member Joan Gans (pictured).
Last year, Gans watched the acrobatics of a local dance troupe on another route. She decided this year to hear something new.
After the initial shock of hearing the trombones and trumpets, some riders swiveled around, took out their headphones, and turned on their iPhones to capture the music. Some clapped and swayed; others stared ahead.
The Kings got off the bus on Elm Street in the midst of a noisy May Day celebration. The band set up camp close to Chapel Street and continued to serenade passersby as the other performance groups converged on the Green from their disparate starting points.
Shola Cole (pictured), the Arts Council’s coordinator of community programs and the lead organizer for Exact Change, said she views matching performance groups with bus routes like casting. In her own words, the goal is “putting the most unlikeliest people in the most unlikeliest places.”
The Kings Band of Harmony played well into the afternoon, collecting donations and dance steps.
What a neat program! Shola is fantastic!