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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 2025).

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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.CANCELLED!
Thu 10: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. A Globe fundraiser (all proceeds to the venue).
Thu 10: Exhaust: Camila Nebbia/Kit Downes/Andrew Lisle @ Jesmond URC, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. JNE.
Thu 10: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Feat. guests Ray Dales & Jackie Summers.

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

Sunday, August 03, 2008

MacJazz Says ...

It was the late 1940's and a new music had arrived from America, they called it Be-Bop ! An early purchase from my favourite record shop was the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Quintet playing ' Loverman ' Sara Vaughan supplied the vocal. Was I lucky to be around to hear this musical revolution ? You bet I was! Lance says ... This posting actually turned up on 16 April this year but somehow or other got shuffled out of the system! Apologies to MacJazz and don't say 'Typical Sassenach!'

5 comments :

Lance said...

I came into jazz in the early '50s by which time Bop had been assimilated into the modern jazz canon and Bird was no longer seen as a trailblazer - "just" a very fine alto player!
The revolutionary of my early days was Gerry Mulligan and his pianoless quartet although the first modern discs I bought were Dizzy Gillespie's "The Champ" and Earl Bostic's "Flamingo".

Anonymous said...

It was Kenton that did it for me. Worshipped the guy as did a lot of us. Now most of it sounds pretentious and dated whereas most of the Woody Herman sides from the same period still sound good.
Anyone else want to tell Lance where it all began for them?

Anonymous said...

Mine began with my dad introducing me to wonderful vocals like "Laura" He was a fine guitarist. I grew up with Django,Hoagey and the like. Sunday nights at our local cinema were the bands of Ken mackintosh, Ted Heath etc.It was the big American bands though that really excited me. Radio Luxembourg was where we learnt the words to the current fave songs. Ella was my first real introduction to the American Songbook, and seeing her at the Leeds Odeon, age 16(me) performing one of the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" concerts was pure magic. After that I was hooked!
Music is like life blood to me and I feel fortunate to have been around to see/hear all those great artists in my younger years.Mel Tormé remains one of those singers who never disappoints.I listened to his recording of "I'll be seeing you" yesterday, I thought to myself, it doesn't get much better than that.

Anonymous said...

Omitted to say that the Mel Tormé recording was with the great George Shearing accompanying.What a combination!

Anonymous said...

The first jazz radio programme I listened to was on Radio Luxembourg. It was the Pye records spot between 7:15 and 8:30 every night. I seem to thing it was Midnight in Moscow by Kenny Ball that I bought after hearing it on that show.

My first move into real jazz was by way of Latin ( all the Jobim stuff ) and solo piano players such as Pete Jolly and Dudley Moore

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