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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 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

18018 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 339 of them this year alone and, so far, 17 this month (May 7).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Gregory Porter + Jo Harrop @ Newcastle City Hall. 7:30pm. Support act: Jo Harrop!

Tue 13: ???

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Recital (stage 2): Leah Kirk (voice) @ The Band Room, Music Studios, Assembly Lane, Newcastle University. 3:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 14: Jerron Paxton @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £24.20. Excellent country blues multi-instrumentalist.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. BACK IN BUSINESS, all welcome!

Thu 15: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: The Greatest in Jazz - Guitarists.
Thu 15: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 15: New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). John Garner & John Pope.

Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Sophie Speed with the Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 16: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 16: Giles Strong Quartet @ Longframlington Memorial Hall. 7:00pm (doors). Tickets: £12.00. from 01665 570984.
Fri 16: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £10.00.
Fri 16: Peter Donegan & Anthony Donegan @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. ‘Lonnie Donegan - The Stories’.

Sat 17: Teresa Watson Band @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 17: The Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Tel: 0191 500 9494. £26.00 (inc. two course meal). Line-up: Jason Holcomb, Hannah Taylor, Alix Shepherd & Abbie Finn.
Sat 17: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 17: Archie Brown & the Young Bucks @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues, Americana etc.
Sat 17: Rockin’ Turner Brothers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Rockabilly, Western swing etc.

Sun 18: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Ruth Lambert & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 18: Steve Summers Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

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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