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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17655 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 929 of them this year alone and, so far, 74 this month (Dec. 31).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 09: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: John H Hammond.
Thu 09: FILM: Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 2:35pm. Documentary (dir. Johan Grimonprez) ‘about jazz, (de)colonial history and activism featuring Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie’.
Thu 09: Happy Tuesdays @ Ye Olde Cross, Ryton. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 09: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 09: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. The session now monthly, next one Thursday 2nd Feb, then first Thursday in the month thereafter.

Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 11: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 11: Under the Wellie @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 12: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: King Bees @ The Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.
Sun 12: Dave Bottomley @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar.
Sun 12: Jack Pearce Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 13: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 13: Raymond MacDonald & Andy Champion @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00.

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

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

WHAT A MUSICAL WEEK!

During last week I spent the sum of £21 and had great music in return, 13 gigs to be exact. Where else in this country could you do that, I ask you?

Jazz gigs included the Claude Werner Quartet last Sunday and the Michael Garrick concert on Thursday, where I got to talk to the man himself, and what a lovely gentleman he was – see the photo. Then there was a ceilidh at Gateshead on Tuesday. I can’t imagine many of the jazz fans I know dancing at a ceilidh (eh Lance?) but it’s great fun if you like that sort of thing, which I do.

But what I mainly wanted readers to know about were the jazz-like influences that I spotted at the Sage folk concerts run by the young people doing the Folk and Traditional Music Degree. There were 10 of these concerts. Nine of them were FREE, each lasting about 45 minutes, and were part of the students’ work which was being assessed. Obviously these were mainly folk music influenced (forget Wild Rovers, there’s a lot more to it than that!) but there were influences from folk music of other cultures such as Mongolian and French, elements of Shakespeare, and even a brass band. The jazz-like elements included a young lad called Simon Stephenson on guitar who treated us to ‘Windy and Warm’ (John D. Loudermilk); ‘The Orange Grove’ composed by the lad himself but influenced by Mississipi John Hurt; and ‘Salty Dog Rag’ and ‘Saturday Night Shuffle’. That last one was originally played by Merle Travis. Simon certainly knew how to play a mean rag.

Another lad to watch for is Ben Church (I don’t think he’s related to Charlotte though he did sing a song in Welsh). He has a most intriguing style of playing guitar which I think would interest jazz musicians. He was finger-picking, playing a quick chord, then doing percussion on the side of the guitar, each in turn, to produce a wonderful lively evocative sound.

Jazz fans may want to try these free concerts next year. You never know, you may get to like folk music if you don’t already listen to it.

Ann Alexander

1 comment :

Roly said...

I agree about the frequency of jazz influence in contemporary folk music. I suppose there is a lot of cross pollination across all genres these days. But there are some wonderful things happening in present day folk at the cutting edge - some fascinating, challenging yet lyrical music of great beauty. I went to listen to Chris Stout at the Sage with his folk quintet a few months back - it was memorable. One of the nicest concerts I've ever been to.
Roly

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