Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Friday, May 07, 2010

Tango Siempre @ The Sage, Gateshead.

Ros Stephen (vln), Bimbi Urquhart (viola), Victor Villena, Julian Rowlands (bandoneon), Jonathan Taylor (pno), Richard Price (bs), Guillermo Rozenthuler (vcl).
It's the 1930s, I'm in a downtown café in Buenos Aires. Sipping a cerveza I watch the gigolo at work. He is smooth, sleek, Satanic. His long sideburns - cut razor-sharp at his prominent cheekbones - give him a look of evil. It is a hypnotic evil of the kind women of a certain age go for.
The band plays a tango, a señora smiles, she blows smoke-rings, they drift towards him, he gives an almost imperceptible nod and they dance.
The tango - the dance of love...
I open my eyes and find I'm not in Argentina but Gateshead - Hall Two of The Sage.
The tables and the gigolo are gone but the music and the atmosphere remain.
In truth, despite the publicity machine, the jazz content in tonight's performance is minimal. However, it is still an enjoyable evening and South America doesn't seem very far away. Tango Siempre capture the mood perfectly and thoroughly deserved the warm applause from the appreciative audience.
Muchos gracias.
Lance

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