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Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: '' A Love Supreme coincided with my search for meaning in life". (DownBeat, March 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

17864 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 185 of them this year alone and, so far,32 this month (March10).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: The Exu + Matt Cliffe @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 13: Oh La La! @ Allendale Village Hall, Northumberland. 7:30pm. £12.00.; £6.00. child. Fifi La Mer (accordion, vocals), Oliver Wilby (reeds).
Thu 13: Fiona Finden’s Jazz Express @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 14: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Taylor @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00-2:00pm. £5.00. at the door. Second Friday in the month lunchtime concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Brass Funkeys + Dilutey Juice @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Oh La La! @ Edmundbyers Village Hall, Co. Durham. 7:30pm. £12.00.; £10.00. (additional £5.00. supper option, ordered in advance). Fifi La Mer (accordion, vocals), Oliver Wilby (reeds).
Fri 14: The Collective @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £8.50.
Fri 14: Bridget Metcalfe Quintet @ St George’s Venue, Park Road, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.

Sat 15: Hot Teapots @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 15: Lagos to Longbenton + Belladonna @ Whitley Bay Big Social, Whitley Road, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Afrobeat/jazz fusion + soul/funk/R&B
Sat 15: Creakin’ Bones @ Billy Bootleggers. Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: Is This Jazz? @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk. Performances by Mu Quintet, Jinjé, A Brief Utopia, John Pope & Co + André Marmot (author of Unapologetic Expression: The Inside Story of the UK Jazz Explosion) in conversation + DJ sets ‘til 3:00am. ‘A Festival of New Jazz’.
Sat 15: Vintage Explosion @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 15: Alligator Gumbo @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Sat 15: One Night Standards @ The White Room, Stanley. 8:00pm. £8.67 (inc. bf). Note - previously advertised Salty Dogs cancelled.
Sat 15: Howlin’ Mat @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Blues guitar.

Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 16: Pearl Blossoms @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime.
Sun 16: Hot 8 Brass Band @ Wylam Brewery. 7:30pm. ‘Big Tuba Tour’.
Sun 16: ARQ @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 16: Air4ce @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:30pm (8:00pm doors). £12.00.; £10.00. Tom Atkinson’s all-star band (line-up inc. Lindsay Hannon & Sue Ferris).
Sun 16: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Jamie Toms Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Laurence Harrison, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.
Tue 18: Phil Bancroft’s Beautiful Storm @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £13.20 & £11.00.. A JNE-Gem Arts co-promotion.

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

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

New Orleans Club - Roly Veitch

My first experiences of local live jazz were at The New Orleans Jazz Club at the top of Forth Bank in Newcastle.
A dowdy building on the corner - you went down some stairs to a smokey cellar area with various murky recesses filled with bodies of all shapes and sizes. There, in the far corner, the band would play.
The club was run by a Pole, Jurich - I wonder what happened to him? Live music for me at that time (late 60s, 70s) would be a mix of The NO Club (jazz) and The Club Agogo (R&B) in Percy Street.
My memories of the local bands who played at The N.O. is hazy now - Mighty Joe Young with a quartet, Jeff Hedley (a very 'modern' player for the time) and his band, various other units. However, one magical concert stands out in the memory. It was by Zbigniew Namylowsky and his Polish Modern Jazz Quartet. He played alto in a fiery, boppish style. The pianist was a midget - he could hardly reach his hands up over the keyboard but was a wonderful player. It almost might have been Petrucciani but wasn't. Still don't know who he was. Drums and bass unknown too. The music, I read afterwards, was a mix of bop and ethnic folk music. I didn't really understand it but remember being mesmerised. That was my first encounter with the magic of international class jazz - an enthralling concert by some fantastic players.
Bill Harper recalled blind pianist Peter Jacobsen coming to a gig there with his dad - Peter was only in his early teens. His dad asked if he could sit in. The band were a bit uncertain about it and not sure what to expect. Anyway they agreed and Bill asked what tune he wanted to play. "Stella by Starlight" came the reply. 'Hmmmm - Stella', said Bill - 'what key?' 'Any key you like' young Peter replied. I like that story.
Does anyone have more detail about the club in general and this concert, the Polish jazz quartet, in particular, the other personnel etc?
Roly

3 comments :

Anonymous said...

"Stella by Starlight" Roly is one of my faves of all times. Here in York for many years there was a hugely talented pianist called Bobby Hirst...he was a legend & played all over the city for dinner dances, and later just for beer money when that era was over. My dad played with him in the early days,(he was a guitarist) I remember Bobbie's fave was this number, he loved the standards so much that he named his daughter Ella. I haven't thought of Bobby for ages until I read your blog.

Anonymous said...

Found this, Roly, on Google:

Lola
Label: GOWI, 1996 (Poland)
Catalog No.: CDG 30

Zbigniew Namyslowski playlist

Tracks:

PEKNA LOLA, KWIAT POLNOCY (BEAUTIFUL LOLA, FLOWER OF THE NORTH) (Namyslowski) 6.37
LESZEK I LUDWIG (Gulgowski) 3.36
PIATAWKA (IN 5/4 TIME) (Namyslowski) 8.00
BLUES SHMUES (Namyslowski) 3.50
ROZPACZ (DESPAIR) (Namyslowski) 7.19
TKOTKONITKOTKO (Namyslowski) 4.44
WOZNY - NAJWAZNIEJSZY (THE CARETAKER - THE MOST IMPORTANT MAN) (Gulgowski) 3.54
OL' MAN RIVER (Kern, Hammerstein) 6.45
Performed by:

Zbigniew Namyslowski - alto sax
Wlodzimierz Gulgowski - piano
Tadeusz Wojcik - bass
Czeslaw Bartkowski - drums

Recorded:

August 1964 at Decca Studios, London. Originally released on LP: DECCA LK 4644, 1964

(I presume they have nicknames!)

Anonymous said...

Looked at this but the play list unfortunately defaults. There are some YouTube features for Namylowski recorded more recently.
These players on this 1964 recording could have been the bass and drummer at The New Orleans I suppose but Gulgowsky was not the pianist. I don't think so anyway. Wonder who it was?
Roly

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