Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''We knew back in the day that Emmet [Cohen] had it.'' (DownBeat July, 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

18680 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 544 of them this year alone and, so far this month (July 3) 8

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

July

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Kevin Eland (trumpet).
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 07: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:30pm. Free.
Tue 07: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Sax on the Tyne @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £8.00. Feat. Sax on the Tyne & St George’s Community Choir.
Wed 08: Abbie Finn Trio @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 09: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 09: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 09: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 10: Swing Manouche @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Olly Styles & Jacob Egglestone @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 10: Archipelago @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:00pm . New album fundraiser gig.
Fri 10: King Bees @ Rebel Yell, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Chicago blues.

Sat 11: Spanish City Rollers @ Community Stage: Mouth of the Tyne Festival, Front Street, Tynemouth. 12 noon. Free.
Sat 11: Jazz Stage: Mouth of the Tyne Festival (o/s Tynemouth Priory), Tynemouth. Free. Vieux Carré Hot 4 (12 noon); Rendezvous Jazz (1:00pm); Castillo Nuevo Trio (2:00pm); Classic Swing (3:00pm); Abbie Finn Trio (4:00pm). Day 1/2.
Sat 11: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man + Adam Millington @ St John’s Chapel, Town Hall, Weardale DL13 1QF. 5:00pm (doors). £16.26., £10.84., £8.67., £5.42 (under 18).
Sat 11: Milne Glendinning Band @ Langley Tracks, Langley-on-Tyne. 5:30pm.
Sat 11: Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:30pm.
Sat 11: Karberry Big Band @ Forest Hall Social Club. 7:00pm. £7.00.
Sat 11: Ray Quinn: The King of Swing @ The Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Sal Nistico - Seems like the good do die young.

Mention the Woody Herman 'herds' and one invariably thinks of the endless chain of tenor saxophone players who graduated with honours from the organisation. Flip Phillips, Stan Getz, Zoot, Al, Richie Kamuca, whom we've looked at earlier and who also died young, are just a few of the many. One of my favourites was Sal Nistico.
Sal, who died in 1991 aged only 51, was one of the new breed of player who'd emerged from the world of jazz/rock - playing with the Mangione Brothers before joining Herman.
With Herman he played Newcastle City Hall in the 1960s and I recall his blistering solo's as if it were yesterday. In fact his style was very much akin to Tubby Hayes. Lots of notes but with a harder edge.
In the 1980s he played the Corner House as a soloist with one of our local rhythm sections - Scott Adair? Willie Payne? Bill Harper? - he blew up a storm that night and it was hard to credit that he only had a few years left.
I do have one important legacy - a recording he made for the BBC in 1982. Sal shares the frontline with Art Theman for some hard-blowing postbop. Theman, as was and is his wont, perhaps blew more futuristic but it was Sal who got the feet tapping with his sheer, intensive drive. Listening to it as I type it hasn't dated one iota; if it has, then I've dated with it.
Lance.
PS: Just been checking out a CD Sal made with Chet Baker - Lorne Lofsky's on guitar - I recall Roly waxing eloquently (as he does) on Lorne. They play a version of "Tangerine" that Chet re-titled "Margarine"!
at

4 comments :

Russell said...

Hi Lance

I seem to recall Nistico with Stan Tracey at the Corner House on a Saturday night a few years ago. I can't remember much about the gig. Can anyone provide more info ?

Russell

Monday, May 18, 2009 4:05:00 PM
Lance said...

You are correct Russell - it was The Tracey's - father and son on piano and drums - and Roy Babbington on bass.

Monday, May 18, 2009 11:27:00 PM
Yardbird54 said...

Remember seeing Nistico at Ronnie's mid 70s with Gordon Beck,Ron Matthewson & Tony Kinsey, opening for Joe Pass if I remember correctly. Style would be called retro nowadays but he could swing.

Monday, November 25, 2013 7:26:00 PM
Ashwin said...

I first heard him on a Monday night in 1978 my first ever day in the US when I headed straight from the airport to Sweet Basil
to listen to a band led by Bob Mover with a young Tom Harrell, Kenny Barron, Ben Riley, Stafford James and Sal
Sal blew the roof off that night

In came a moustachioed tenor player at midnight and blew Sal off the roof ! I asked Kenny who he was Kenny said they call him Joe Lo something
Years later I figured out it could be Joe Lovano
I met Joe at Monterey in 2017 and asked if he was there He said he would have been since he used to learn from Sal then and Sal would have invited him to jam

Wednesday, March 04, 2026 6:47:00 AM

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