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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Matt Forster Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 17: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Jazz Milestones - 1975.
Thu 20: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 20: Orange Claw Hammer + Peony @ The Globe, Newcastle.7:30pm. Orange Claw Hammer play Captain Beefheart.
Thu 20: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Featuring special guest Zoë Gilby.

Fri 21: JazzMain @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 21: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. TBC.
Fri 21: Emma Rawicz w. Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

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

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Hey Jude - Come Back Soon - Likewise Alan Davis.

Alan Davis (clt), Judith Murphy (fl/vcl), Dave Weisser (tpt/vcl), Darren Grainger (ten), Barry Ashcroft (pno), Jim Crinson (bs), Eric Stutt (dms). + Herbie Hudson (hca/vcl), Harley Johnson (pno), Chris Finch (pno), Debra Milne (vcl), Lance Liddle (ten).
This was one of those nights when it felt good to be alive and at the Chilli for the weekly get together of Take It to The Bridge - there were just so many things happening.
From Manchester, England, came Alan Davis - a teacher at Chethams - he blew some fine Goodmanish clarinet on "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Summertime" (Chris on piano), "Autumn Leaves" (Debra on vocal), and a couple of others.
Herbie Hudson just happened to have a Hohner Chromatic in his pocket and he gave "Don't Get A Round Much Anymore" a workout both vocally and instrumentally. Nice one Herbie. Dave also exercised his chops on this one.
Harley finished the night off with "Moose the Moose". His Monkian tendencies well in the ascendancy and, if he'd been at the wheel of a car instead of a Roland keyboard he'd have been done for speeding.
Darren impressed on "Lester Left Town" and "It's Time" whilst Lance Liddle wandered in and out of "Now's The Time".
Anything else? Oh yes - very much oh yes!
Dave's partner Judith played flute and sang. On flute she did Clare Fischer's "Morning" - quite brilliantly. Whilst, on "Lullaby of Birdland" she joined Dave and Alan soloing on flute and taking the vocal bridge of Dave's beginning and ending. Alan having a good blast on this one too. Jude also sang on "Summertime" and almost got to play piano on the same tune (Chris did the honours - Barry having set off on the subterranean safari required to buy a pint.) This woman shouldn't be chained to a kitchen sink (I'm assured she isn't!) she should be up there with Ruth and Zoe. Her version of "I'm Shadowing You" à la Carol Kidd bore comparison with the original whilst "Like Someone In Love" was simply terrific.
This was one of those nights where 'the sound of surprise', as Whitney Balliott and others have put it, certainly was surprising and in the most pleasantest of ways.
It goes without saying that Eric, Jim and Barry were also on the money. Talking about money - all this for a quid? they should have been queueing the length of Chilli Road!
Come back soon folks.
Next week the Alan Glen Trio.
Lance.

1 comment :

cptfinch said...

I've still got Judith's 'Like Someone in Love' going round my head - it was fantastic!
Another highlight - pointed out to me by Debra - was Dave the Rave's scat on 'Don't get around much anymore'.

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