Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 2026)

The Things They Say!

This is a good opportunity to say thanks to BSH for their support of the jazz scene in the North East (and beyond) - it's no exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for them many, many fine musicians, bands and projects across a huge cross section of jazz wouldn't be getting reviewed at all, because we're in the "desolate"(!) North. (M & SSBB on F/book 23/12/24)

Postage

18767 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 631 of them this year alone and, so far this month (July 31) 95.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

From This Moment On

August

Sun 09: Sticky Lips @ NOVUM Festival, Newcastle. Free. Various city centre locations/times.
Sun 09: 58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00-3:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Ropner Park, Stockton. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: The Gambling Janes @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 10: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.Free.

Tue 11: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Abbie Finn Trio @ Sheepfolds, Sunderland. 5:00-10:00pm. Free. A National Macken Day event. AF3 on stage at 6:30pm. Tickets (free) from: www.eventbrite.co.uk.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Jam session @ The tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 12: Look Left @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 13: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 13: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 13: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Stranton, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 13: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 14: John Settle Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. John Settle (vibes); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 14: Bold Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £8.00 + bf.

Sat 15: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 15: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £16.26.

Saturday, August 08, 2026

A Russian Lullaby - sort of.

 
Some years ago circa '89/'99 I received four Russian LPs from an unknown Russian whose name escapes me and whom I'd had no contact with before nor indeed since. The years rolled by and I'd forgotten all about them until I stumbled upon this one of the four on YouTube. It's rather quite good and worth a listen - maybe even a few roubles. Lance

The funeral of Mike Jamieson

Mike Jamieson's funeral will be held at 10:30am on Friday 21st August. Mike's many jazz friends are welcome to attend. Details below:

Friday 21st August (10:30am)

Quaker Meeting House
1 West Avenue
Gosforth
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE3 4ES 

The Meeting House (adjacent to Trinity Church) is one minute's walk from Gosforth High Street. Please note, there is little or no on-street parking. Buses from Haymarket are plentiful, ask the driver for the Brandling stop.    

Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio - Sundays 6.30-8.00pm (repeated Tuesdays 8.00-9.30pm).

https://www.ayclifferadio.co.uk/listen.

Playlist 09/08/26 (repeated Tuesday 11/08/26)


Seasonal: Tommy Dorsey, Oscar Peterson.

Requests from Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club: Fats Domino, Gene Krupa, King Oliver/Louis Armstrong, Mose Allison, Ken Colyer.

RIP: Abdullah Ibrahim.

Memories: Django/Benny Carter, Duke Ellington, Pat Metheny, Jimmy Witherspoon & Wilbur de Paris.

New Release: Omar Sosa.

Requests: Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock.

What’s on in the NE: John Settle.

Peace: Tim Boniface. 

Friday, August 07, 2026

A classic performance

 
Featuring: Jonah Jones (tpt); Tyree Glenn (tmb); Ike Quebec (ten); Ram Ramirez (pno);Tiny Grimes (gtr); Oscar Pettiford (bass); J C Heard (dms). Fine jazz and swing on a 12 inch Blue Note 78 rpm record recorded in 1944. Lance

Misha Gray’s Prehistoric Jazz Quintet – The Reunion @ Frederiks, Liverpool - August 5

Misha Gray (piano); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax);  Nick Walters  (trumpet); Grant Russell  (double bass); Johnny Hunter (drums)

After seven long years this quintet reunited for a much awaited return to live performance. They had produced three fine albums all of which are available to stream. Origin of the Species (2016); Where the Wild Things Are (2017) , Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (2018)

The musicians involved with the three albums were the same as per the line-up for this concert save that Grant Russell replaced Hugo Harrison. All musicians are based in the North West save for Nick Walters who travelled from his base in London. It was my first time seeing Nick who is a bandleader and composer as well as a cracking trumpeter. All of the other musicians are well known to me. Grant is also a bandleader and composer. Johnny is one of the UK’s top drummers. It was the second time I have seen Kyran in concert in seven days and I see Misha at least once every couple of weeks if not more gigging on Merseyside, Manchester, North Wales and sometimes further afield.

Tony Bennett Night - tonite (Friday), BBC Four

Three years ago Tony Bennett died a couple of weeks shy of his 97th birthday. This week, Monday 3rd August to be exact, Anthony Dominick Benedetto would have turned 100. In recognition of this milestone, this evening the BBC is devoting five hours and thirty five minutes to one of the Big Apple's own. 

Eight programmes (all eight have been shown before), beginning at 9:45pm and running through to 3:20am, are well worth watching and/or recording:

Thursday, August 06, 2026

Late Night Chicago Radio with Denny Farrell (Aug. 6 -12)

?
: Love For Sale.
Sarah Vaughan: How Long Has This Been Going on?.
Bill Evans: Here's That Rainy Day.
Harry Edison: Mizz Kitty's Blues.
Stan Getz: Desafinado.
Namecheck re Ralph Hutchinson (37.58 mins in).
Joe Venuti/Zoot Sims: Someday Sweetheart
Chet Baker: Let's Get Lost.
Maxine Sullivan: Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams.
Maynard Ferguson: Autumn Leaves.


Album Review: Antonio Adolfo – Balaios (AAM Music)

Antonio Adolfo (piano, composer/co-composer, producer, arranger); Lula Galvao (electric guitar, acoustic guitar (track2)); Jorge Helder (acoustic bass); Rafael Barata (drums. Percussion (all tracks, except tracks 6 & 7)); Jesse Sadoc (trumpet, flugelhorn (track2)); Danilo Sinna (alto sax); Marcelo Martins (tenor sax, alto flute (track 2), C flute (track 8)); Rafael Rocha (trombone); Andre Siqueira (percussion (except tracks 6 and 7))

Over a six-decade career, Brazilian pianist, composer and arranger, Antonio Adolfo has given the world a literal amazon of vibrant music bubbling up from his culture and tradition. His canon over two dozen recorded albums demonstrates his brilliant musical vision and the poignancy of the robust material he presents. With Balaios (pronounced bah-lie-ohs and described as a traditional Brazilian wicker basket which carried food and other things on one’s head) Adolfo dives into his vault and shares nine composed or co-composed selections – all superbly revived and recently recorded with his outstanding Brazilian sidekicks. The album provides an engaging retrospective and also an introspective dimension of this outstanding artist.   

Sonny speaks

A few Sonny Rollins' quotes from the Bebop Spoken There archive...

 Sonny Rollins: “I don't feel I'm as great as they think I am.” – (DownBeat November 28, 1956)
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Sonny Rollins: "These guys who only play their own tunes, they can cover up a lot of things, but if you play the melody of Stardust, everybody can tell whether you're doing it right or not." - (DownBeat August 26, 1965).
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Sonny Rollins: "I never actually drove a cab. A job was offered to me, but I never consummated the act, if I can put it that way" - Sonny Rollins. (DownBeat - August 26, 1965).
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Sonny Rollins"I work very hard. I wear out suits playing." - (DownBeat May 29, 1969.)
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Sonny Rollins: "I know DownBeat's been pretty hard on me recently, which I suppose is a kind of honor. Maybe now that Miles is dead, they figure they have me to kick around." – (DownBeat December 1992).
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Sonny Rollins: “This is my philosophy of playing. It could be 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.' The development of themes, this is the way that I play, I don't care what it is, it's what you do with it” – (DownBeat January 1995).
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Sonny Rollins: "I'm fortunate and happy to say that Zoot Sims was an individual that I knew personally in my life– (DownBeat July 1999).
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Wednesday, August 05, 2026

Album review: Mali Sheard - Hayfever (ECN)

Mali Sheard
(alto/soprano sax, compositions); Keira Chakraborty (flute); Kyle Osborne (piano 1, 2 ,4); Luke McCarthy (drums); George Balmont (elec. bass); + Huw Warren (piano 3, 5, 6, 7); Rob Luft (guitar 1, 2, 4)

A debut album from London-based saxist, composer Sheard who grasps the moment with both hands. Seven original compositions that reflects the landscapes and experiences that have shaped her musical voice - don't they all? However, Sheard's Hayfever does it better than most.

Recorded with a group of musicians she'd performed alongside at both the Royal Academy of Music and as a part of Tomorrow's Warriors, plus guest appearances by Huw Warren and Rob Luft, the end result is well worth the effort.

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