Motor City Horns trombonist John Rutherford looked at more than 40 homes in Ferndale, Royal Oak and Berkley before falling in love with this 1939 bungalow in Detroit’s English Village. (The gentrified neighborhood was developed from in the 1930s to the 1950s to house workers during Detroit’s industrial boom.)

“Of all the houses I looked at,&rdquot Rutherford says, “this was the nicest and the most affordable.”

The trombonist doesn’t get the chance to enjoy his new home as much as your average homeowner might — he’s got more than a few gigs keep him busy and pay the mortgage. The University of Michigan School of Music alumnus has gigged with everyone from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Yo-Yo Ma to the Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra and Mr. Bob Seger.

The Motor City Horns were invited to join the Seeg’s band for the recent Face the Promise tour. And Rutherford was impressed by just how diehard Seger’s fans were, particularly in his home state. “Bob Seger could tour and sell out Michigan for a month if he wanted to,” Rutherford says.

Not surprisingly (for a dude whose musical influences — and gigs — run the classical-jazz-rock-funk gamut), Rutherford digs the mix his neighborhood offers. “I love the history and diversity of English Village. And the Cadieux Café is practically around the corner!”