On Thursday, his three-piece orchestra with guest Howard Johnson absolutely delighted us at noon hour from the main stage.

Blues and rock are basic to Posgate's tunes, but instead of pained outcries and stories about broken hearts, we hear a nimble tuba outlining a scenario about fleeting and quietly weird moments in life ("On the Merry-Go-Round") as a note-note-note pattern is played by Lina Allemano on trumpet and Quinsin Nachoff interjects tenor saxophone multiphonic growls.

Posgate's compositions are efficient miniatures. The band's instrumentation is electric guitar, tenor sax/clarinet/flute, and trumpet, so you've got more than the basics for creating melody - harmony - and rhythm.

The Tim Posgate Horn Band can sound suprisingly big, then can turn quiet and intimate like chamber music.

The band also likes to pretend it's a Big Band, with its 'brass explosions', the plunger mumbled trumpet solos, and its get down turbulent cries from Quinson's tenor sax on "Muddy". It's hilarious. In a quiet way.