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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 2024).

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

17655 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 929 of them this year alone and, so far, 74 this month (Dec. 31).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 03: John Gregory @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar.

Sat 04: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Square, Middlesbrough. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 04: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £5.00. Xmas party (rescheduled from early December).

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 05: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Americana, jazz & blues.
Sun 05: Papa G’s Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Mon 06: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 09: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: John H Hammond.
Thu 09: FILM: Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 2:35pm. Documentary (dir. Johan Grimonprez) ‘about jazz, (de)colonial history and activism featuring Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie’.
Thu 09: Happy Tuesdays @ Ye Olde Cross, Ryton. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 09: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Monday, September 21, 2009

Scarborough Saturday

The day began with a killer sandwich in Sainsburys followed by Killer Shrimp at the Festival.
I knew the band from previous at the Corner House and they performed to the standard expected which was pretty high. Reminded me at times of an updated Mulligan Quartet with Damon Brown and Ed Jones waxing lyrical. Drummer, Luke Flowers looked and played like Phil Seaman which isn't a bad place to be..
Nicholas Meier Group varied from exciting virtuoso displays and excitng solos to bland floating, arboral themes that lost attention of this listener.
Andy Panayi Big Band. They played two sets. The first, in the afternoon, "The Greek God Suite" and the second "The British Jazz Story" both were absolutely tremendous the former surely a piece to rank alongside any extended jazz work. The fact that it was narrated with side-splitting humour by Alan Barnes made it even better.
I'm not going to even try and mention the highlights there were just too many. Paul Booth, Mark Nightingale, Barnesy, Sammy Mayne, Jim Hart (on drums) I could go on forever.
Damon Brown returned with Steve Grossman for a varied set. Lots of good solos but just a little untidiness. Not enough to spoil things.
However, good as the co-leaders were the revelation of the whole Festival came with Leon Greening's amazing piano playing. I didn't know him from Adam yet his brilliance shone in all directions from bravura runs to big fat block chords à la Milt Buckner with some modern day Garner thrown in. I'm not sure if he's an old-time modernist or a modern oldtimer but whatever, his playing was unique inasmuch as he inspired a standing ovation after one of his solos in the middle of the number. He kicked ass and how!
Trudy Kerr with Michael Garrick Trio. Trudy had a hard job following that and, to her credit, nobody left. A vocalese version of Coltrane's "A Moments Notice", and a blast on "Cloudburst" (remember Don Lang and the Frantic Five?) saw her keep the ball in play. She encored on "Lush Life" which perhaps wasn't the best choice to go out on.
Apologies if details are rather sparse but there was a lot to get through and Sunday is still to come.
Lance.

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