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

From This Moment On

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Budvivar @ The Chillingham

Budvivar: Fiona Littlewood, Stuart Findon (ten), Chris Finch (pno), Eddie Nickson (gtr), Jim Crinson (bs), Eric Stutt (dms), Debra Milne (vcl). ----- Take It To The Bridge: Dave Weisser (tpt), Darren Grainger (alt), Barry Ashcroft (pno), Tom Dibb/Eddie Nickson (gtr), Jim Crinson (bs), Ian Forbes/Eric Stutt (dms). ----- Budvivar really went for the jugular this month. The two tenor frontline, reminiscent of Zoot and Al (Zoot & Toot?), worked well. With Debra adding her voice instrumentally on numbers like "Four", "Green Dolphin Street", "Well You Needn't", "In Walked Bud" and other boppers the frantic tempos got the adrenaline circulating and the pulses revving. Some great solos from both of the saxes as well as blasts by Eddie on guitar, Jim on bass and Chris on piano. Eric Stutt, on drums, like Jim and Eddie, kicked both bands along whilst Debra successfully got her head and her vocal chords round the tempos di bop. "I Won't Dance" was rather more civilised, albeit with a couple of 'two left feet' moments, but Debra's "Black Coffee" couldn't have been bettered by Starbucks. In the two months since I last heard them, Budvivar have come on in leaps and bounds. I look forward to hearing them again in April or whenever their next gig is. (Promoters take note.) Tom Dibb, who earlier had had a guitar blast with the Take It To The Bridge boys, returned for the jam session. Tom is from Rotherham which may explain his strange headgear; he plays great guitar.
Ian Forbes sat in on drums. Photos. Lance

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