Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18621 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 485 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 14) 37

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

June

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 24: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 25: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 25: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Forgotten Ones & Any Quintets.
Thu 25: Edgar Ho Trio @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free. Brilliant alto sax, piano & double bass trio. Unmissable!
Thu 25: 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 26: Finn-Keeble Group @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9:00.
Fri 26: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 26: Clark Tracey @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. £26.00. Day 1/2.

Sat 27: OUTRI @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £13.01. 1:00-1:45pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Richardson & Westgarth Sport & Social Club, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal. Note change of venue.
Sat 27: House of the Black Gardenia + Magpies of Swing @ The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sat 27: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 2:15-3:15pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 3:45-4:45pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Rory Ingham @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 5:30-6:30pm. £19.51. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Ingham w. Dean Stockdale, Ian Paterson, Dave McKeague.
Sat 27: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 27: Laura Jurd @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £26.00. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Sat 27: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary’s Church, Wooler. 3:00pm. £18.00., £6.00. A Wooler Arts Summer Concerts event. Tim Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: An Evening of Jazz @ St James’ Church, Copper Chare, Morpeth. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 from 01670 788869 or 01670 519923. Mid Northumberland Chorus (MD Robin Forbes, Emma Straughan, piano) w. jazz trio featuring Edgar Ho, Oscar Ho & Dave McKeague & special guest Emily Masser. Performance inc. Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass + George Shearing’s Songs & Sonnets.
Sun 28: Led Bib @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.00., £12.00. JNE.

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 30: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Alan Glen Trio/Take It To The Bridge/Zoe Gilby

Alan Glen (pno), Lawrence Blackadder (bs), David Carnegie (dms).
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Dave Weisser (tpt/vcl), Darren Grainger (ten), Barry Ashcroft (pno), Mark Williams (gtr), Eric Stutt (dms). + David Carnegie (pno), Zoe Gilby (vcl).
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Every visit to the Chilli by the Alan Glen Trio produces something special and tonight was no exception although it was rather sad inasmuch as it marked the end of Lawrence Blackadder with the trio - he lives in Cumbria and the travelling is too much.
Nevertheless, all three were at the top of their game with a selection of tunes that would have delighted our lady from York (Liz). These included, "Have you Met Miss Jones", "It's You Or No One", a most ravishing version of "Skylark" and an uptempo "Love Letters" that owed nothing to Ketty Lester. Add Neal Hefti's "Shiny Stockings" and a few other tunes I couldn't put a name to and you have a set that enthralled from start to finish. The ease with which Alan executes the most complex phrases is truly awesome.
It goes without saying that, on his last night, Lawrence soloed superbly whilst David C, not content to solo and boot the whole thing along, later played piano with the Take it to The Bridge Boys giving Barry a break. Barry incidentally has been shorn of his locks and now looks a semi-cool dude. Another dude - a total dude - Mark Williams, who also went under the shears recently, had some fine moments on guitar. He really wailed on the final "Blues in F" ("Duane's Blues").
Eric Stutt socked it to the frontline - he's a rhythm machine with feeling - whilst Jim Crinson put in a good shift on bass, undeterred by Lawrence's performance or the fact that supremo Andy Champion was in the audience. Andy was with Hil and Zoe Gilby and Zoe lent her vocal chords to an excellent "Summer Samba" (or was it "So Nice"? or are they one and the same?).
Dave sang the verse to "Green Dolphin Street" as well blowing a nice, tightly muted, solo. Throughout their two sets Darren blew some lusty tenor. The Sam Jones' number "Unit 7" was made for his big sound
This was a top drawer night and with a decent sized audience (by Chilli standards) that included a few new faces.
Lance.

3 comments :

Hil said...

Hi Lance the song Zoe sang was

'Wave' written by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Lance said...

Whoops!

Liz said...

This "lady from York" would have been thrilled with all of those numbers. "Shiny stockings" I will always associate with Ella. Incidentally whilst waiting for the film to begin today in our city centre cinema, someone had put on the P.A. system a number by Sarah Vaughan..how rare!looking around I could tell I was the only one in that whole sweet rattling audience who appreciated it.
Liz

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