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Bebop Spoken There

Van Morrison: ''Basically, I'm coming from jazz. Not pop, not rock, not what's commercial. That's where I started, and that's still where I am. I feel the same as I did when I was listening to Louis Armstrong, Lead Belly, Jelly Roll Morton''. (The Northern Echo, 12 June 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

1803759 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 480 of them this year alone and, so far, 58 this month (June 18).

From This Moment On ...

JUNE 2025

Thu 19: Gareth John & the SOS Big Band @ The Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £25.00. CANCELLED!

Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: David Gray's Flextet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. £21.50. ‘Time After Time’.
Fri 20: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm.
Fri 20: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.

Sat 21: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 21: Red Kites Jazz @ Staithes Café, Dunston. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Sat 21: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: Phoenix 4 @ Wallington, Northumberland. 12 noon-1:00pm & 2:00-3:00pm. Tel: 01670 773606. National Trust admission prices apply. ‘Tunes in the Blooms’.
Sun 22: Lapwing Trio @ Wallington, Northumberland. 1:00-2:00pm. Tel: 01670 773606. National Trust admission prices apply. ‘Tunes in the Blooms’.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 4:00pm. £18.00. + £1.08 bf.
Sun 22: JazzMain @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 23: MSK Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club (1:00pm). Free.

Tues 24: ???

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: The Magpies of Swing @ The Roxy, Leadgate, Co. Durham. 7:30pm. A Ginger Jitterbugs swing dance event, all welcome.

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

JAZZ – That horrible oobly doobly stuff!!

As most of you know, we at Blaydon Jazz Club reached our 25th anniversary in Sept. The reason we have survived this long is, I think, by keeping the music very accessible. It may not always be the jazz purist’s cup of tea but this is our niche and it’s what our particular audience seem to want. We hoped that it might bring in new people whose appetite might be whetted for jazz in all it’s styles.


As we received a small amount of funding (a new experience – thanks to Gateshead MBC/Grass Roots Grants) we took the opportunity to undertake a lot of promotion – posters all over the Tyne Valley area in shops, libraries etc, listings in Gateshead Council News (goes to every house in the borough) and A4 posters to all Gateshead MBC arts groups/network contacts. This as well as the usual jazz networking sources of info.

We have had some great concerts this autumn well supported by the regular jazz aficionados but, amazingly, all the effort to bring in new people to give jazz a try has resulted in not one single ‘new’ person arriving at the door. I don’t know – we have to be thankful for the wonderful loyal folk who support us through thick and thin, and I guess we do it for them, but it makes you wonder.

So tomorrow I’m going to buy 20 cans of lager and spend about 10 hours watching football on the telly, then some real talent on X-Factor, then I’ll probably go for a curry takeaway and ensure I throw the polystyrene carton and half eaten contents on the pavement somewhere before throwing up a bit further along the road back home English culture eh? You can’t beat it.
Roly

1 comment :

Liz said...

You make perfect sense Roly, and oh how I wish we lived locally to enjoy those Blaydon nights.Even though I do not physically walk through the door I feel I live them through "Bebop Spoken Here"...just keep on doing what you do so well. I always enjoy your comments and especially your choice of ballads which as you may have gathered are "my thing". Maybe next time at Boston Spa eh?
all the best
Liz

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