Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18585 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 449 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 31) 103

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

June

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.
Tue 02: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 04: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 04: Postmodern Jukebox @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Thu 04: Webster’s Ragtime Trio @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £17.00. Trio from Texas, USA.
Thu 04: King Bees @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Chicago blues excellence!
Thu 04: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 04: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 05: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 05: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 05-Thu 11: FILM: Köln 75 @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. Dir. Ido Fluk. Drama based on the true story of Keith Jarrett’s 1975 concert in Cologne. Screenings TBC.
Fri 05: Pete Tanton & Alan Law @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 05: House of the Black Gardenia: Summer Tyne Swing Festival @ Northumbria University Students’ Union, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £130.00; £95.00; £70.00; £50.00. Note: all day dance event (classes & socials). House of the Black Gardenia evening performance. Day 1/3.
Fri 05: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band + IKS Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £24.00. Big band double bill. IKS Big Band (Germany).
Fri 05: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00

Sat 06: Struggle Buggy @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 06: Teresa Watson Band @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 06: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Dry Water Arts, Amble. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £15.00.
Sat 06: IKS Big Band: Summer Tyne Swing Festival @ Northumbria University Students’ Union, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £130.00; £95.00; £70.00; £50.00. Note: all day dance event (classes & socials). IKS Big Band evening performance. Day 2/3.
Sat 06: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Northumbrian Revival, West Benridge Farm, nr. Morpeth NE61 3RZ. 7:30-9:30pm. £21.47 (£2.77. child). 82nd D-Day anniversary event.
Sat 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 06: FILM: The Magic City: Birmingham According to Sun Ra @ The Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. 9:30pm. £7.00., £5.00. Dir. Guillaume Maupin & Pablo Guarise.

Sun 07: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 07: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Steve Walker (trumpet).
Sun 07: Joe Steels: Celebrating Wes @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Trio: Joe Steels, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.
Sun 07: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Eddie Gripper Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Gripper (piano); Clem Saynor (double bass); Patrick Barrett-Donlon (drums). Americana album tour.
Sun 07: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Magpies of Swing: Summer Tyne Swing Festival @ Northumbria University Students’ Union, Newcastle. 4:00pm. £130.00; £95.00; £70.00; £50.00. Note: all day dance event (classes & socials). Magpies of Swing afternoon performance. Day 3/3.
Sun 07: Webster’s Ragtime Trio @ The Ship Inn, Low Newton. 7:00pm. £12.50. Trio from Texas, USA.
Sun 07: Salty Dog @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:00pm. £5.00. Performance in the Studio venue.
Sun 07: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Riding Mill Village Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 07: Swing Manouche @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Feat. Steve McGarvie (clarinet).

Mon 08: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 08: Dave Bristow Quintet @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £22.00., £11.00., £5.50. Bristow (piano); Christian Altehülshorst (trumpet); Félix Hardouin (alto sax); Gabriel Pierre (double bass); Guillaume Prévost (drums).

Sunday, May 23, 2010

An Evening (well ten minutes) with Michael Bublé

I arrived home earlier than expected - don't ask - and was fortunate to catch the last couple of numbers from "An Evening With Michael Bublé"*.
How I wish I'd heard the whole show. Okay there's a lot of inane questions from the "Celebrity" audience and occasionally he comes over just a little too schmaltzy in his patter but, strip that all away, and you have a good, young, singer singing good songs and bringing them - apart from tonight - to a youngish audience and in a contemporary manner.
He has a cracking band behind him and in Jumanne Smith a fine trumpet player.
A class act - no wonder he packs out the Arena and elsewhere.
Must checkout the whole show on catch-up TV.
Lance.
*: Georgia on my Mind and How Sweet It Is.
PS: Check out LondonJazz.

8 comments :

Liz said...

very rare for me to slightly disagree with you Lance but honestly I thought he was really mediocre tonight. He seemed to be playing to the audience over much and some of the numbers were, for me, forgettable. I do agree though a good band. His stagey movements were weird too, all that twisting of legs,what's that all about? For me he is better heard than seen. Also the Mrs Brown number...not tender enough...
Liz

Lance said...

Well I did only see ten minutes so maybe I will change my views when I see the whole show but I did try to make it clear that I was judging him away from the non-singing aspect. This is something which spoils all these 'an evening with' shows.
Plus, if you had came to Michael after what I'd just left, you'd have seen it as a lifeline to sanity after tunnelling out of Bedlam.

Hil said...

I taped it and was really looking forward to watching it as I have a couple of his cd's.
Unfortunately I could only watch the first number as I just cringed with embarrassment. The younger generation have an expression which just summed up his performance for me...Cheesy.
Perhaps I just wasn't in the right frame of mind?...and might try again to watch it?
With sincere apologies to the said gent, as I do like his voice.

Tom Medhurst said...

I thought the music was pretty good (not amazing like his tours), but the Q&A thing with the audience was *really* over-scripted/rehearsed and was really hard to enjoy.

He does have an incredible voice though!

Liz said...

Yes Hil you have voiced my opinion very well..cheesy..and, like you, I too like his voice. In fact I do have a CD with him singing some nice standards. It was just that he seemed to be out to crowd please and really there was no need to overdo that, his voice stands well alone. Going back to Mrs Jones... I love that number but oh dear when he got the audience to join in and went into a kind of frenzy...too much!
Liz

Lance said...

Well I've watched the full 51 minutes and, whilst I agree with the 'cheesy' comments - a word he frequently used himself - I still enjoyed the show. He's a good singer and, as the 'show - bizzy' saccharine from both sides of the footlights comes with the territory in these programs, I let it ride by me - in fact I listened to more than I actually watched.

Anonymous said...

Just wondering whether Buble should have got a mention on here really. Just my opinion, but isn't he really just a pop singer with a little better voice than the average? He appeals to the females apparently (judging by the DVD my wife has got and the disproportionate number of women in the audiences), and has a bit of a gay following too. He certainly is not a jazz vocalist and like most of the over hyped singers seems to be too full of his own importance - reflecting in his over-the-top stage movements. Buble and Jamie Cullum should both be sent to room 101.

Lance said...

Well the definition of a jazz singer is always open to contention - as indeed are the boundaries between adjoining genré - and MB does attract interest from the jazz periphery (as well as the ladies and the 'lads').

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