For the past sixteen years we've been updating the world about jazz in the north east of England and updating the north east of England about jazz in the world. WINNER of the Jazz Media Category in the 2018 All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Contact lanceliddle@gmail.com
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Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music: "Lance writes pull quotes like no one else!"
Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.
April
Thu 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 18: NONUNONU @ Elder Beer Café, Chillingham Road, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 18: Knats @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:00pm (doors 7:30pm). £8.00. + bf. Support act TBC.
Thu 18: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 18: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guest band night with Just Friends: Ian Bosworth (guitar); Donna Hewitt (sax); Dave Archbold (keys); Ron Smith (bass); Mark Hawkins (drums).
Fri 19: Cia Tomasso @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. ‘Cia Tomasso sings Billie Holiday’. SOLD OUT!
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 19: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Radio Rooms, Berwick. 7:00pm (doors). £5.00.
Fri 19: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Seventeen Nineteen, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Fri 19: Levitation Orchestra + Nauta @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £11.00.
Fri 19: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. ‘Ella & Ellington’.
Sat 20: Record Store Day…at a store near you!
Sat 20: Bright Street Band @ Washington Arts Centre. 6:30pm. Swing dance taster session (6:30pm) followed by Bright Street Big Band (7:30pm). £12.00.
Sat 20: Michael Woods @ Victoria Tunnel, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Acoustic blues.
Sat 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ St Andrew’s Church, Monkseaton. 7:30pm. £10.00. (inc. a drink on arrival).
Sun 21: Jamie Toms Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Holy Grale, Durham. 5:00pm.
Sun 21: The Jazz Defenders @ Cluny 2. Doors 6:00pm. £15.00.
Sun 21: Edgar Rubenis @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Blues & ragtime guitar.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Art Themen with the Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. +bf. JNE. SOLD OUT!
Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Tue 23: Vieux Carre Hot 4 @ Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Delaval. 12:30-3:30pm. £12.00. ‘St George’s Day Afternoon Tea’. Gig with ‘Lashings of Victoria Sponge Cake, along with sandwiches & scones’.
Tue 23: Jalen Ngonda @ Newcastle University Students’ Union. POSTPONED!
Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 24: Sinatra: Raw @ Darlington Hippodrome. 7:30pm. Richard Shelton.
Wed 24: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 24: Death Trap @ Theatre Royal, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Rambert Dance Co. Two pieces inc. Goat (inspired by the music of Nina Simone) with on-stage musicians.
5 comments :
Bill played for the River City Band for about 12 months sometime in the 1970's. I remember he replaced Danny Dunbar. Bill then emigrated to either South Africa or Australia, - I forget which. He was disappointed to leave the band but his daytime job came first. He, in turn, was replaced by Stan Martin, and during the change-over we were treated to superb clarinet duets with both musicians. Bill led the Blue Star Jazzmen at the Corner House Hotel in Jesmond in the 1960's, - recently departed Kevin Savin was on banjo. It was a really good band.
Gordon Solomon.
I was on trombone with Bill Croft Blue Star Jazzmen 1961-62 the last band.Lineup,Bill Reid Bass. Jeff Robinson? drums. Kevin Savin banjo.John Walters tpt. Bill Croft clt. Me tbn. John and Kevin R.I.P. Bill went to Tasmainia as a civil engineer. John to BBC London.
Bill Croft
I was stopping over for a few days with my old mate Lou (Townson) and his wife Ann, in South Wales and we were talking about old times. Bill Croft’s name cropped up (Lou & I had both played in the Blue Star Jazz Band in the late 50s early 60s) and we decided to Google him to see if we could find out where he was or what happened to him – and up popped this fantastic site, where only a month ago Tony from Hull was on the same quest!
Sorry Tony, we’re still looking for him so I can't help, but maybe I can add a bit to the background.
Bill and I met within days of arriving at Kings College in Oct 1958 at the jazz club above the Gardener's Arms in Nelson Street and it didn't take long to decide to try to put a band together. Bill was a brilliant clarinettist - he'd been to Moscow with the Crescent City band from Hull whilst he was still at school .
He once told me that he and his mates in Hull called themselves the “GSAMCQ”. I’ve forgotten what the “G “stood for but the rest was “G………. Swinging, Anti-Manky, Crumping Quartet” - and why that long forgotten snippet of memory came into my head after 50 years I haven’t the faintest idea! I do recall though that one of those mates came up to Newcastle for a weekend at one point - maybe that was you?
Bill married Cynthia around 1963 and they went to Tasmania. I heard that the marriage didn’t last. I can confirm Gordon’s story that Bill returned to Newcastle briefly in the 70s. Sadly I wasn’t aware of that at the time, but I ran into Joe Young in the Town about 10 years ago and he told me the same thing.
The Blue Star Jazz Band line-up began in late 1958 or early 1959 as:-
Bill Croft – Clt
John Walters – Tpt
Keith Foggin – Tmb
John Crone – Pno
Clive Grey – Bjo
Me (Jef Robinson) – Dms
Then in the summer of '59 Clive left to do his National Service and John Crone left to join the College Kings band. In October '59 Lou and Dave arrived in Newcastle and the band became:-
Bill Croft – Clt
John Walters – Tpt
Keith Foggin – Tmb
Dave Rowberry – Pno
Lou Townson – Bass
Me (Jef Robinson) – Dms
In 1962, after the band broke up John, Jef and Lou joined the Joe Young band and Lou did a short spell with the EmCee 5 including an Italian tour. Dave went to London and was Musical Director for PJ Proby before taking Alan Price's chair in the Animals while John & Jef signed up with The Alan Price Set in 1965. Of Bill, sadly, I have no news.
Maybe Lance would like me to put a more detailed history of the band and its members on the blog – I have photos, press cuttings, and an LP (also mp3) of the Joe Young band recorded at MortonSound about 1964
If anyone would like to get in touch my e-mail address is - jyrob( )hotmail.com - [just change the brackets ( ) to @]
Jef Robinson
Call Logan City Council, Queensland, Australia - +61 7 3412 3412.
Bill is a 'retired' civil engineer / transport planner. Like many engineers, he liked it so much he returned to work part-time (in the transport section). Best day to try is possibly a Wednesday.
From the conversations that I had with him when working there I gathered that his marriage is still happy. :-)
I went to school with Bill Croft’s wife Cynthia nee Toward. I last saw Cynthia sometime in the 70s they were over from Oz at that time not sure if just for a visit . At the time Cynthia professed not to knowing me even though we had gone to school together for over 10 years. Last week I was out with a school friend and Cynthias name came up in the conversation. I knew Bill from downbeat/club Agogo days . After seeing this post I looked for them on Facebook and they are last showing being active in 2013 and still living in Oz at that time .
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