DECEMBER 2025
Mon 15: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Tue 16: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Tue 16: A Jazzy Xmas @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Tue 16: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.
Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).
Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.
Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackosn’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.
Listening recently to a tape I'd picked up somewhere along the way - "Freewheeling" by the Ted Brown Sextet - stirred a few memories and asked a few questions. The tape featured Art Pepper (alto) with Ted Brown and Warne Marsh (tenors). I'd obviously acquired the tape because of Art - over the years I've tried to grab anything that featured my favourite alto player - and he doesn't let me down. However, the question is who was Ted Brown? I've never come across him before or since yet he had the leader status over Art and Warne - both more familiar names. (Further investigation of the Warne Marsh site reveals that T
ed is alive and well and still blowing age 81. See picture right.)
13 comments :
Just been looking at the Warne Marsh site Lance. It's a delight to discover things like this are around (produced by a local guy too) and what a great tribute to one of the great jazz saxophonists. Warne's oblique, cliche-free playing is abolutely unique. An unsung cat as his biog. says. I was at that memorable concert at Whitley Bay's C/House. Our own Dave Cliff played great guitar too. Great memories.
Roly
I’m in fairly regular contact with Ted and he’s still playing at 81. Sounds not bad either. He’s played regularly with Lee Konitz in NYC and I think they manage to lean against each other to be able to keep standing up.
Jack Goodwin
Just heard that Ted played Birdland, NYC in September this year with Charley Krachy another tenor player in the Tristano mould, plus rhythm; a gig in Brooklyn, also in September, with pianist Charles Sibersky and another at a restaurant in Peekskill, NY with Charley Krachy, Steve Lamattina on guitar and Joe Solomon on bass. So he’s still pretty active.
He’s also released a couple of CD’s : Ted Brown Quartet w. Jon Easton, p; Don Messina, b; Bill Chattin, d. “Love Me Or Leave Me” recorded at Trumpets Jazz Café, Montclair, NY. Aug 29, 2006 on Blue Jack Jazz Records and secondly, Ted Brown Trio w. Steve Lamattina, gtr; Dennis Irwin bass. Title: “Shades Of Brown” recorded January 2007 and released on SteepleChase.
I was also at the concert because it was on our regular Wednesday(?)gig night at the Corner House with the Brian Fisher Five - Me (saxes), Kevin Elliott (trumpet), Brian (piano), Barry Phillips or Dave Murphy (Bass), Billy young or Ian Forbes (Drums). I remember asking Warne Marsh how he produced his amazing harmonics and he replied brusquely "Go get yourself a book about it". The room was a funny shape and people had to walk past the front of the band to go to the bar or toilets. Every time this happened Lee konitz stopped playing and stared at the punter walking past. A right couple of surly so and sos, I reckon!
Well Steve, maybe Lee thought they should wait until the interval to go to bar or toilet!
I say this knowing I was probably one of the offenders!
As for Warne, maybe he too wanted to go to the bar or toilet.
Surly or not - still good players.
I wonder how often Warne or Lee were asked for a music lesson right in the middle of a session? I also recall the American gentleman who acted as compere that night interrupting a Lee Konitz intro to a tune to yell "S-h-u-t-u-p!" because of some very loud punter's conversation. Perhaps this was getting to the musicians who had had a very long mid-winter drive to Whitley Bay from Sittingbourne in Kent. I had a conversation with both Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz and found them extremely courteous.
Jack Goodwin
How I wish I was at the gig that night.I understand that the support was none other than Dave Weisser.Is this true ?
Russell
I don't recall Dave although he could have been I suppose. Dave Cliff was in the main band.
I would have imagined support would have come from Brian Fisher/Steve Andrews and co. then again there is no mention of a support band on the poster.
Come in Jack, Steve or Roly.
I can't recall any support band but couldn't say for sure. Later on I went to some great sessions there with Dave Weisser, a singer called Joy Askew, several fine guitarists incl. Eric Gamblin, son Paul and a great young player Mark Wood who went down to London and later worked with Ian Carr.
Happy days.
Roly
As I recall, the support group that night at the WB Corner House was “Friends of Jazz”. Who was in the band I can’t remember but I’m pretty sure that was the name of the group. Ring any bells?
That was Dave Weisser's band - "Friends of Jazz". So you were on the money Russell.
See you at that other Corner House tonight?
Hi Lance
Roly's comments about Joy Askew got me googling...check out this website-www.joyaskew.com-I think this could be the Geordie ex-pat.
I remember seeing Mark Wood in the bar of the then University Theatre-the line-up escapes me.What has stayed with me is that Wood as a teenager looked (check jackets)and sounded like Barney Kessel,then years later at the Buddle in Wallsend he turned up with Ian Carr's Nucleus...what a transformation!Fusion guitar,long hair and...leather trousers !
Russell
I remember coming down from Glasgow with Mike around 1974. The jazz scene in Glasgow was really very healthy. Lots of wonderful big bands playing in city centre pubs.
Mike was thrilled to find we had the Whitley Bay Corner House Jazz Club almost on our doorstep.
He was involved with a few of the local guys in a couple of bands. I other hand was grounded being a Mammy to a new baby our first son, named after his Daddy.
Hilary Gilby.
Post a Comment