See the video from the Post Standard!

On a cloudy day in late January, a bus snaked its way through Syracuse. Yes, it’s a normal occurrence- buses move through cloudy Syracuse on a regular basis. But this bus was special. It was wrapped in art, outfitted with poetry, and it was playing live music!

It was a Connective Corridor bus, which made its way from Syracuse Stage to downtown at 3:30 in the afternoon on Friday, January 27, with a 3-piece jazz concert. William Horrace, professor of economics at the Maxwell School, helped to organize the event along with Centro and Robbi Farschman, director of the Connective Corridor. Horrace, member of “The Bill Horrace Band” stood to play the double bass while his band members relaxed to play acoustic guitar and keyboard.

“The pole I’m leaning on is rough on the lower back,” he joked. “I’m gonna pretend we’re on a ship, just floating in the ocean.”

Despite the minor bumps of a bus ride, the live show was the first successful “Music in Motion” event for the Connective Corridor. The buses have also hosted a performance by Verbal Blend, a poetry group from Syracuse University, for “Poetry in Motion”. The buses are also now mobile art galleries, as they regularly feature community art displays.

Corridor buses are becoming easier and easier to spot. They are wrapped in colorful designs with matching interior upholstery, they highlight beautiful community artwork and they now feature spontaneous live music or poetry displays.

“It’s definitely not an everyday occurrence in Syracuse to hear live jazz on the bus!” says Farschman. “We’re thankful to Professor Horrace for this performance, which uniquely ties into what the Connective Corridor is all about—exposing the community to the wonderful – and sometimes unexpected – opportunities for arts and culture in Syracuse.”