Bebop Spoken There

Donovan Haffner ('Best Newcomer' 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards): ''I got into jazz the first time I picked up a saxophone!" - Jazzwise Dec 25/Jan 26

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

18146 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 24 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 7), 24

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Fri 09: The House Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 09: Nauta @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Trio: Jacob Egglestone, Jamie Watkins, Bailey Rudd.
Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Warren James & the Lonesome Travellers @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Fri 09: The Blue Kings @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv.). All-star band.

Sat 10: Mark Toomey Quintet @ St Peter’s Church, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:30pm. £12.00. (inc. pie & peas). Tickets from: 07749 255038.

Sun 11: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Milne Glendinning Band @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 13: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 15: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. Quartet + guest Paul Donnelly (guitar).

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, March 26, 2009

Clare Tea-Towel @ Customs House South Shields

Clare Teal (vcl), Simon Little (bs), Grant Windsor (pno), and Chris Dagley (dms).
The tea-towel heading isn't a puerile attempt at humour - well it is but only a little bit. The deal in the interval was; buy 2 CDs and get a free Clare Teal tea towel complete with the lady's name tastefully displayed in a corner.
Original.
By and large it was a good gig despite the hall being less than full and the volume on the vocal mike should have been turned up ever so slightly. Nevertheless, the girl did good. "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "Cheek To Cheek" and "Night and Day" were swingers but the swingers' swinger was when Clare strutted her vocal stuff on Anita O'Day's "Tea For Two". Lip service maybe, but it brought the house down even without a picture-hat.
A trio of pindroppers - "I Loves You Porgy," "In The Still of the Night" and "Love Hurts" - held the audience's attention; the latter number confirming what I've always suspected - that there's a little cowgirl trying to escape from inside the jazzgirl. Indeed, even at her jazziest, Clare often throws in an inflection straight out of Nashville and there ain't nuttin' wrong wid dat, pardner.
On piano, Grant Windsor, an Australian no less, did the business as did drummer Chris Dagley - especially on latin numbers like "Eso Beso (ooh that kiss!)" and the Jobim samba. They were brilliant but personally, I'd have liked a horn or a guitar in the mix; not complaining though, it was a great show and, as always, I look forward to the next time.
Lance.

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

Hi Lance - good blog! I help to manage Clare's website so if you ever need info, get in touch.

Sue

Lance said...

Thanks Sue. Forget to mention "The Coffee Song."
Brilliant.

Blog Archive