Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Mon 15: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 16: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Tue 16: A Jazzy Xmas @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Tue 16: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackosn’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

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

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Noise Abatement

I just wonder if folk out there have similar views to mine or whether I'm now in the 'grumpy old man' category. My gripe is with the sheer extent of music saturation - most of it irritating pap. It seems you can't go into a shop or a store without music blasting out - our local B&Q has music so loud you can't hear yourself think. I complain to the checkout folk but they look at you as if you're crazy.
A lot of TV (especially sport) has loud (louder than the conversation) rock music phased in behind any interviews or stats. Everywhere you go radios seem to be blasting out -- in folk's cars (doof, doof), over gardens, etc. Jobbing builders play radios you can hear streets away. On our local minibus service the drivers have radios going. Recently I experienced that plus a youngster playing an MP3 in the rear of the bus. Unwanted bitonal noise in stereo!!
Most of it is pop/rock with irritating DJs who love the sound of their own drivelling voices. I hate it and moan on about it a lot (which annoys my wife!). I just don't want any noise inflicted upon me that is not of my choosing.
It seems that the perpetrators (shops, TV) conclude this is actually what their customers want and maybe it is. It seems that folk these days just have to have 'noise' around them. But what damage is all this music saturation doing to live music promotion? I mean if you were a store employee who has just done an 8 hour shift with endless background music droning on, would you want to go to a music concert that evening? I don't know the answer and wonder what other music/jazz lovers think about it.
Roly

6 comments :

Lance said...

I remember a Bunny Berigan story. Bunny would go into a bar and, if there was a juke box, he would stuff the coin slot with chewing gum - Wrigley's doublemint - making the machine inoperable.
He said, "There's no reason in the world why some son-of-a-bitch with a nickel should impose his tastes on a roomful of people."
Unfortunately, you can't do that in B and Q!

Steve Andrews said...

Agreed! Extraneous "muzak" played too loud has ruined what little enjoyment remained in watching tele. The worst thing to me is muzak in Pubs. I can't abide it. I go to the pub for (i) a drink (or three) (ii) conversation (hopefully intelligent) without having to bawl into someone's cupped ear (iii) time to sit quietly away from family etc.. If I don't want to talk, I take a book or a 'paper.
Another major problem for most musicians that I know is that if the musical wallpaper is too quiet to hear properly you spend your time trying to identify what's going on, while your partner/wife/acquaintance gets progressively more irritated at your inability to maintain a conversation.
I expect it will spread even further, though - look out for Radio 2-style soft rock behind the sermon (played just too loud) the next time you go to church!

Liz said...

I totally agree Roly. When we go into a café/shop/bar and this dreadful stuff is churning out, I don't mess about, I just go right up to the manager & ask for it to be turned right down. I know I get black looks , but who cares? someone has to make a stand. I used to ask for extractors to be switched on in the smoking days too. I am not a person who "puts up & shuts up" it goes against all I stand for.
Liz

Hil said...

I vote with my feet. Was in a shop in Whitley Bay last week when I realized I just couldn't stand another minute of the awful music. Put the basket down and retreated fast.

Anonymous said...

During the wonderful "Ashes" test matches, whenever Sky Sports showed re-runs of some great batting/bowling moments they had to play beat music in the background!
Also, has anyone noticed that in a TV series like "Lewis" or other 'tec series, whenever the detective takes a surreptitious photograph with a modern camera, the resulting photograph is always in black and white? Also, whenever the cast switches on their 50" flat screen TV the sound comes across like my original transistor radio, circa 1955.
V. Meldrew.

Keith said...

Johnathon Meades in 'Off Kilter' described silence as a modern day luxury and bemoaned constant exposure to 'Drivelling pop noise and burger stench'
Keith, Dunfermline

Blog Archive