Bebop Spoken There

David Bailey (photographer): ''When I was 16 I wanted to look like Chet Baker. He was my idol - him and James Dean.'' (Talking Pictures documentary : Four beats to the bar and no cheating April, 2026)

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

18445 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 309 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 20 ) 43,

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

From This Moment On

April

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 22: Nubiyan Twist @ Digital, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £28.75 (inc. bf).
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 22: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 7:30pm. Date, time & admission TBC.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 23: FILM: Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 6:15pm. Dir. Robert Clem (2025).
Thu 23: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 23: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 23: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra & Musicians Unlimited @ ARC, Stockton. 8:00pm. £19.00. inc. bf.

Fri 24: Noel Dennis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. Dennis, Mark Willams, Andy Champion.
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Trio Grand @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Ben Vince + The Exu @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £14.33., £11.16, £8.00. A ‘jazz adjacent’ gig!
Fri 24: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £13.20 (inc. bf).
Fri 24: TBC @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.

Sat 25: Giles Strong Quartet @ Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. 7:30pm.
Sat 25: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf).
Sat 25: ‘Portrait in Evans’: Noa Levy & Alan Barnes w. Paul Edis Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £24.00. Sage Two. ‘Portrait in Evans’. Levy, Barnes, Edis, Andy Champion & Steve Hanley.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 26: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ni Maxine + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sun 26: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 26: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00., £7.00.

Mon 27: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: House of Blues @ the Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £7.00., £5.00. advance. A student-led jazz session. ‘House of Blues’ is, perhaps, a misnomer.
Mon 27: Littlewood Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00 + bf, £7.00. + bf.

Tue 28: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!

Thursday, December 31, 2009

CrescENDo

I bought the first issue of Crescendo in July 1962 and for many years I was a regular reader - I even contributed an article to the April 1970 edition - then it disappeared for a while before returning on a subscription only basis which is when I jumped ship.
Looking at that first edition with Woody Herman on the cover I noted the editorial described it as 'For musicians and would be musicians.'
Perhaps this was both its strength and its weakness. Not enough fan appeal.
Also in that inaugral issue were articles on Basie, Peterson, Jack Parnell, George Chisholm and Nelson Riddle.
Les Evans' reed clinic provided valuable hints for sax/clarinet players as well as including serial numbers for the different makes thus allowing you to put a date on an instrument.
Ocasionally a score would be printed - Horace Silver's "Filthy McNasty" is one that springs to mind. Just what every musician needed, you might think.
I recall, around the time it made the first of several re-appearances, I worked in a music shop that stocked the revamped Crescendo. A prominent local musician came in to the store to buy some reeds.
"It's back!" I said excitedly, thinking I was going to make this guy's day.
"What's back?"
"Crescendo - its back on sale again."
"Really?" he replied as he held a Rico number 4 alto reed up to the light examining it closely for any irregularity of texture - or whatever is it was that we sax players used to look for - I never quite knew. Now they are sold in sealed packs so that rigmarole no longer takes place.
I showed him an article by possibly Cannonball Adderley or Phil Woods.
No interest whatsoever.
The moral of the story being - don't depend on musicians to buy magazines (or to support other musicians' gigs come to that).
Still it is sad to see it go as it covered ground the other jazz mags with the exception of Down Beat didn't.
RIP.
Lance.
at

1 comment :

Roly said...

I used to get the Crescendo for quite a few years. As you say Lance, very much a 'technical tips' type of magazine. There used to be a regular article by guitarist Ike Isaacs - a harmonic master who was apparently greatly admired by Joe Pass and our own Martin Taylor. I remember reading, with detached curiosity, Leslie Evans' amazing technical dissertations on sax embouchure, reeds, mouthpieces, lay etc etc. It was a unique magazine with it's own specialised readership I suppose. Talking of Leslie Evans, I am reminded of his brother George, a legendary player and arranger, who lived and played locally later in his life. I found this link below which may be of interest to younger players and jazz fans who may not know of him and his great achievements.
Roly
http://www.jazzprofessional.com/profiles/George%20Evans.htm

Friday, January 01, 2010 3:16:00 pm

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