The Soha Quartet (tks 1,3,4,7): Mei Liu, Chloe Yofan (violin); Thomas Gougeon (viola); Katsuaki Arakawa (cello)
bebop spoken here
For the past eighteen 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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From This Moment On
September.
Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 06: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Ian Bosworth (guitar); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Jeremy McMurray (keyboards); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Mark Hawkins (drums) & guest Mick Donnelly (tenor sax).
Sun 06: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Ropner Park, Stockton. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Nils Kavanagh Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Mon 07: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 07: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Tue 08: Seijiro Murayama & Jean-Luc Guionnet @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Warwick St., Newcastle, NE2 1BB. 7.00pm. £10.00 (advance); £12.00 (on door); £.15.00 (solidarity).
Tue 08: SH#RP Collective @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 08: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: 58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club. 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: NONUNONU @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE. Excellent trio.
Thu 10: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Jacenaite All Crew @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 10: Emma Rawicz INKYRA @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.30. Sage Two. Line-up: Emma Rawicz (sax); Scottie Thompson (piano, keyboards, synth); David Preston (guitar); Kevin Glasgow (bass guitar); Jack Thomas (drums).
Fri 11: Esther Bennett @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £10.00. Esther Bennett (vocals); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass).
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Ray Stubbs’ R&B All Stars @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £14.09 (inc. bf).
Sat 12: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 12: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £16.26 (inc. bf).
Saturday, September 05, 2026
Album review: Ross Margitza Trio - Discovery (Self-released)
R.I.P. Harry Brown (1974 - Sept. 3, 1926)
Jazz Jamaica M.D. and trombonist Harry Brown sadly passed on Sept. 3 at a relatively young 52 sending shock waves throughout the jazz world. Heartfelt tributes have been expressed on social media by his many students and fellow musical associates including Gary Crosby O.B.E., Janine Irons O.B.E. and Tomorrow's Warriors.
Rest In Peace.
Lance
Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio - Sundays 6.30-8.00pm (repeated Tuesdays 8.00-9.30pm).
https://www.ayclifferadio.co.
Playlist 06/09/26 (repeated Tuesday 08/09/26)
Seasonal: George Shearing.
Memories of Buddy Bolden: Wynton Marsalis.
Requests from the Graham Hardy gig: Emmet Cohen, Terell Stafford & Dick Oatts, Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet, Laura Anglade, Terence Collie.
Requests: Ella Fitzgerald, Ron Carter, Herb Jeffries/Laurindo Almeida, Paquito D'Rivera.
Rerelease: John Wadham/Louis Stewart.
Request: Dollar Brand Trio, Booker Ervin Quintet.
What’s on in the Northeast: Emma Rawicz
Friday, September 04, 2026
Swan and Chequers Big Band @ Swan and Chequers, Sandbach - August 31
| © Richard Morris |
The final
concert of the four day festival held at this venue in Cheshire over the Bank Holiday weekend. Whilst concerts on the previous three days were held indoors this
concert was outside in the courtyard with the band undercover on a stage and
the audience outside. Fortunately the rain of the morning disappeared and the
sun roared its approval of the music on show.
Whilst I knew some of the musicians who would be playing in the big band I was not aware of them all. How pleased I was to see Tom Thorp in the lineup. One of the best saxophone players in the UK and a great composer. He and his quintet Ilumetris commence touring in the autumn. I had not seen renowned saxophonist and composer Nadim Teimoori before and he stunned me with several solos. In the trumpet section were Nick Smart and Ray Butcher who I have seen play on multiple occasions. On piano Gwilym Simcock was as usual tremendous. Mixed in with these heavyweights were very talented graduates, undergraduates and younger musicians. Musical Director was Andy Scott who is a renowned saxophonist and composer equally at home in jazz and classical contexts. He is a saxophone tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music.
TRIO-SKW @ Swan and Chequers, Sandbach - August 30
| © Richard Morris |
Sunday's 8.00pm slot concluded proceedings on the third day of the festival with an organ trio which is always a treat and not always on the menu at a jazz festival. I had not seen Lucas Kelly before and what a revelation this 27 year old graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire was on his Nord C1 Combo organ. I noticed top Gwilym Simcock and Nick Smart grooving away in the audience to the tunes of this trio in their first set after hanging around for a further hydration break after the conclusion of their own concert which immediately preceded this one.
Gwilym Simcock and Nick Smart Quintet @ Swan and Chequers, Sandbach August 30
| © Richard Morris |
Sunday's 5.00pm slot featured the Gwilym Simcock and Nick Smart Quintet. Gwilym and Nick had appeared with Rob Cope’s Joy Ride band on Saturday, today they were joined by three amazing musicians.
Josh Savage , a local Sandbach lad, Simon who had flown in from Berlin where he is based and Laurence, one of the UK’s most accomplished bass players. All five apart from Laurence are also due to appear in the Gwilym Simcock Big Band on Monday.
Album review: Jamie Safir – “Momentism” (Chill Tone Records)
Jamie Safir has performed with an array of notable acts that include Kyle Minogue, Emma
Smith, Jamie Cullum, Annie Lennox and Claire Martin, amongst others. But, as he
explained, “I’ve been writing, recording and performing properly for 15 years …
but I was never the artist; I was never the focus.” This makes Momentism
something of a watershed moment for Safir in that it is not just his first
outing as band leader but the songs he has recorded are all originals. All the numbers
are his own compositions apart from Amethyst which was co-composed with
Emma Smith. Momentism also sees Safir reunited with Iain Ballamy for the
first time since their collaboration with Ian Shaw on What’s New. Ballamy plays
on five of the tracks, as indicated by * in the track listing.
Late Night Chicago Radio with Denny Farrell (Sept. 3 - Sept. 9)
Thursday, September 03, 2026
Album review: Christopher Lucas Wilson Trio - Wilson's Way (Independent)
Christopher Lucas Wilson (piano); Alex Austin (bass); Isaiah Spencer (drums)
Like Wilson's previous album, Solemn Moments released in 2023, Wilson's Way is another joyful mix of originals, standards, Latin and bebop all played in Wilson's way - pardon the pun.
Years ago another Wilson, Teddy, was invariably described as elegant as indeed his playing always was. With the passage of time elegance became a lesser-used adjective in jazz circles - until now that is. Thanks to Christopher Lucas Wilson, if this album is anything to go by, elegance is very much back in fashion.
Alex Clarke Quartet @ Swan and Chequers, Sandbach - August 30
| © Richard Morris |
On my journey from North Wales the rain pelted down but fortunately, just as I arrived in Sandbach the rain stopped and the sun came out. An omen that this would be a good day and it certainly was.
The second of four scheduled concerts, I'm told I apparently missed a very good earlier concert by Wendy Kirkland and her band which started at the unholy hour (for jazz musicians) at 11.30am.
Blog Archive
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2026
(
745
)
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September
(
24
)
- Album review: Ross Margitza Trio - Discovery (Self...
- R.I.P. Harry Brown (1974 - Sept. 3, 1926)
- Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio - Sundays 6.30-8.00pm (re...
- Swan and Chequers Big Band @ Swan and Chequers, S...
- TRIO-SKW @ Swan and Chequers, Sandbach - August 30
- Gwilym Simcock and Nick Smart Quintet @ Swan and C...
- Album review: Jamie Safir – “Momentism” (Chill Ton...
- Late Night Chicago Radio with Denny Farrell (Sept....
- Album review: Christopher Lucas Wilson Trio - Wils...
- Alex Clarke Quartet @ Swan and Chequers, Sandbach ...
- Johnny Hunter “Now It Can Be Told” @ Swan and Cheq...
- Rob Cope’s Joy Ride @ Swan and Chequers, Sandbach ...
- A few thoughts on Cassandra Wilson
- Into September...
- Cassandra Wilson (1955 - Sept. 1, 2026)
- Preview/press release: Seijiro Murayama and Jean L...
- Dan Whieldon Quartet @ Swan and Chequers, Sandbach...
- Stockport Jazz
- Nominations announced for the All Party Parliament...
- Album Review: Tara Minton – The Devil Invites You ...
- Jazz on the Tyne Previews the Newcastle Festival o...
- More on Ralph Hutchinson
- Jazz North announces the latest round of New North...
- R.I.P. Gene Bertoncini (1937 - August 29, 2026)
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September
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24
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