Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 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

17904 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 225 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (March 24).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Fri 28: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00 SOLD OUT!.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm.
Fri 28: Sue Ferris Quintet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £10.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 28: Mostly Moonlight @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 28: Juliana Day & Manon McCoy @ Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00.; £10.00. advance. JNE.

Sat 29: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 29: Doris Day Story @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Sat 29: Squabble! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 30: Jan Spencelayh & Dave Archbold @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 30: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

APRIL 2025

Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Mark Robertson.
Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 02: Lauren Bush: The Jazz Singer’s Toolkit @ The Pele, Corbridge. 1:00-4:00pm. Vocalist Lauren Bush with pianist Jamil Sheriff presents a jazz singing workshop. £40.00. (inc. evening concert, see below). Registration required for workshop: www.laurenbushjazz.com. All ability levels welcome.
Wed 02: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 02: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 02: Lauren Bush & Jamil Sheriff @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00-9:00pm. £10.00. Concert performance. Tickets: www.laurenbushjazz.com.
Wed 02: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 02: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. POSSIBLE CANCELLATION. See website for updates: www.theglobenewcastle.bar.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

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

Friday, December 11, 2009

Calling Signals & Raymond MacDonald/David Stackenas @ The Bridge Hotel. December 10th.

Raymond MacDonald (alto & soprano saxophones, whistling) & David Stackenas (guitars). Guitarist David Stackenas had a teaching/performance engagement at Newcastle University during the week and he stayed on to play a short set with Raymond MacDonald in the upstairs room of the Bridge Hotel. Stackenas plays acoustic guitars, often prepared, sometimes table - top. He has a prodigious technique combined with a robust approach (with or without a plectrum) which, at times, threatens the very survival of the instrument.
His style and technique have, to this listener's ears, certain elements of the country blues picker. MacDonald (recently on Tyneside to participate in the annual On the Outside Festival) listened to Stackenas, searching for an opening. His sound palette ranges from the reflective to all -out blowing, full of gutteral gestures and spittle (the Scot's occasional whistling served as a marked contrast to that which had gone before).
A good set. Calling Signals: Frode Gjerstad (clarinets & alto saxophone), Jon Corbett (trumpet, valve trombone & conch shell), Nick Stephens (double bass) & Paal Nilssen - Love (drums) A long - established quartet, albeit with one or two changes in personnel, Calling Signals come with quite some pedigree in the world of free jazz/improv. Norwegians Frode Gjerstad and Paal Nilssen-Love have helped establish a 'free' scene in their homeland and over the years have played with a 'who's who' of the music.
British double bassist Nick Stephens worked with legendary drummer, the late John Stevens, as indeed did Gjerstad. Stephen's compatriot Jon Corbett cut a figure resembling that of a trad trumpeter down at the Dog & Duck; north east readers will be able to picture Peter Wright (of the Vieux Carre) other readers will know of National Treasure Digby Fairweather - well Corbett sounded nothing like either of them!
Corbett's best work was in tandem with Nilssen-Love; the trumpeter firing volley after volley of notes as Nilssen-Love played with absolute authority behind the kit.
Tynesiders have been fortunate this year to hear, variously, drummers Paul Lovens, Mark Saunders, Gunter Sommer and now the outstanding Paal Nilssen-Love. Nick Stephens demonstrated his credentials in this exalted company and Gjerstad was particularly effective on alto, his clarinet playing was less inventive although this allowed Nilssen-Love space to fill with sticks and brushes, hitting an additional battery of things both metal and wood.
After the gig MacDonald said how much he had enjoyed playing the room. The Bridge beer offering on the night was exceptional; Big Lamp, a great micro brewery, supplied a seasonal beer called Embers (5.5 abv), it was quite simply, perfect.
Russell.

No comments :

Blog Archive