Bebop Spoken There

David Bailey (photographer): ''When I was 16 I wanted to look like Chet Baker. He was my idol - him and James Dean.'' (Talking Pictures documentary : Four beats to the bar and no cheating April, 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

18445 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 309 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 20 ) 43,

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

April

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 22: Nubiyan Twist @ Digital, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £28.75 (inc. bf).
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 22: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 7:30pm. Date, time & admission TBC.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 23: FILM: Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 6:15pm. Dir. Robert Clem (2025).
Thu 23: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 23: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 23: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra & Musicians Unlimited @ ARC, Stockton. 8:00pm. £19.00. inc. bf.

Fri 24: Noel Dennis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. Dennis, Mark Willams, Andy Champion. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Trio Grand @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Ben Vince + The Exu @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £14.33., £11.16, £8.00. A ‘jazz adjacent’ gig!
Fri 24: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £13.20 (inc. bf).
Fri 24: TBC @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.

Sat 25: Giles Strong Quartet @ Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Sat 25: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf).
Sat 25: ‘Portrait in Evans’: Noa Levy & Alan Barnes w. Paul Edis Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £24.00. Sage Two. ‘Portrait in Evans’. Levy, Barnes, Edis, Andy Champion & Steve Hanley.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 26: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ni Maxine + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sun 26: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 26: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00., £7.00.

Mon 27: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: House of Blues @ the Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £7.00., £5.00. advance. A student-led jazz session. ‘House of Blues’ is, perhaps, a misnomer.
Mon 27: Littlewood Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00 + bf, £7.00. + bf.

Tue 28: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Nothing Like A Dame

I have to admit it took me a long time to fall in love with Dame Cleo; about 50 years to be precise. Maybe longer. I enjoyed hearing her with the Johnny Dankworth Seven back in the days of Sunday night concerts at Newcastle Odeon as well as at later gigs with the Dankworth big band. It was when Johnny became John (John conveniently forgetting that, as Johnny, he once played with Freddy Mirfield's Garbage Men) that Cleo suddenly became an upmarket personality and her voice took on all those irritating mannerisms. Sarah Vaughan too had a lot of mannerisms but somehow her's only irritated occasionally.

There were moments when I forgave her; her "Shakespeare And All That Jazz" recorded in 1964 was, probably still is, the defining mix of jazz and the written/spoken word. Something few would dare to deny. However, one swallow doesn't make a supper and I heard little else to enjoy.

As recently as this merry month of May, with a hey and a ho and a hey nonny no I opted to drive to Darlington to catch Scott Hamilton and Steve Fishwick rather than go up the road to the Sage and listen to Lord and Lady Dankworth of Wavendon.

Then I heard "Quality Time".

A good friend and contributor to this site raved about Cleo singing "Quality Time". I shrugged it off; I knew "Quality Time" as a clever Dave Frishberg song that Susannah McCorkle had recorded but couldn't quite equate it with the sentiments Liz was attributing to it so, as I had picked up Cleo's CD of same somewhere along the way, I decided to listen to it - don't ask me why I hadn't done so before; built in conceptions guess.

Let me tell you this is one helluva CD. Gone are the mannerisms to be replaced by a feeling of sensuality akin to a Julie London or a Jeri Southern. "Quality Time", the song, is not the Frishberg fol de rol but a beatutiful piece written by tenor saxist Duncan Lamont and drummer, the late Allan Ganley. Apart from the originals (Cleo and Sir John also penned some) there are several well chosen standards and, in particular, a goose pimpling version of "Wee Small Hours" that gets within sight of the Sinatra version.

It was recorded in 2002 which would make her 75 at the time...

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1 comment :

Anonymous said...

I feel good knowing that you feel good about "Quality time" It certainly left an impression on me Lance. I think I must buy it. I do agree about Cleo mellowing somewhat, it's easier on the ear. Why mess with lyrics when they are as beautifully written as this, thankfully she doesn't.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008 11:26:00 pm

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