Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

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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