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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

Thursday, December 25, 2008

R.I.P. Eartha - "Santa Baby" Dies on Xmas Day.

Okay, maybe Eartha Kitt wasn't a jazz singer as such but she was certainly capable of helping them out when they were busy and she did have a major part in the W.C.Handy biopic "St Louis Blues".
An unusual voice, it lay somewhere between Edith Piaf and Peggy Lee, that could, at times, grate whilst, on other occasions, be positively enchanting.
I personally will miss her not just for her voice but because, love her or hate her, she really did have what today they call the "X-Factor" or what we know as simply Star Quality.
Eartha had all that and more.
If she'd elected to stage-manage her demise, she couldn't have done it better than to die on Christmas Day - already "Santa Baby" is filling my head and will do for some time.
She was 81.

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