Brass band proud to showcase its 160-year history

The Burbage Band will perform at Manchester's Cheetham School of Music

A brass band from Derbyshire is preparing to perform a show that celebrates its own history and the genre's influence on modern music.

Buxton-based Burbage Brass Band will present their production Burbage Works to an audience at Cheethams School of Music in Manchester on Saturday.

The show features new compositions, poetry and a researched chronological story.

One section will also include the re-creation of a performance from the mid-19th Century using actual instruments from the era including cornets and horns.

Sam Pollard has composed original music for the Burbage Works show

The first brass bands were formed in the 1800s, when factory and colliery owners would buy musical instruments for their workers.

The genre has influenced stars like Frank Sinatra and The Beatles.

Sam Pollard, from the band, said: "A lot of jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong also played in brass bands.

"Big names like Frank Sinatra took on similar pieces of music and The Beatles were heavily influenced by brass bands.

"Paul McCartney's father played E-flat bass and you just have to look at the cover of the Sergeant Pepper's album to see how much brass bands influenced pop music in the 1960s.

"You can follow that story in words, pictures and music throughout the show."

Steve Critchlow said the performance would show how brass band music had influenced jazz and pop

Musical director Steve Critchlow said: "Everybody who joins the band is aware it started in 1861 and we wanted to do something that reflected the history of the band.

"In that era, recorded music didn't exist and working class people weren't exposed to live music, other than in church.

"The Burbage Band were very close-knit and when the First World War broke out, they signed up together and formed part of the Cheshire Regiment.

"The show expands that to take in the formation of brass band music and how it's evolved to influence other genres such as jazz and pop music nowadays."