Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

May

Fri 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Saturday, July 03, 2010

Havana Cultura Live @ The Sage, Gateshead.

Danay (vcl), Ogguere (Ulises & Edrey) (vcl), Roberto Fonseca's Band (Fonseca, piano, + alt/fl, tpt, bs, dms, congas. Gilles Peterson, Dhesi (DJs).
If I say I'm off to the travel agents in the morning to book a ticket on the first flight to Havana then you may get an idea of what an experience tonight was!
Of course I'm not going to Havana tomorrow but, after tonight's music, I certainly wish I was.
This was The Sage, Hall Two, in stripped down mode with diffused lighting patterns and smoke machines creating an ambience.
DJ Dhesi got the party under way with some Caribbean grooves that soon had the standing audience twitching in time to the beat. Close your eyes and you're on Havana's 23rd Street.
Gilles Peterson took over at the console and introduced Ogguere, Danay and Roberto Fonseca's Band. We were off.
For once words fail me - to say I was knocked out sounds like mere cliché - this was territory way beyond my comfort zone but it got my juices flowing.
Hadn't a clue what Danay or Ogguere were singing about but it was as hypnotic as the Cuban rhythms.
Danay is the most enigmatic singer I've ever heard. One moment it is almost a folksy ballad - next thing you know it is Rock 'n Roll Cuban style.
Ogguere comprises Edrey and Ulises who are a Cuban Hip-Hop version of the Blues Brothers. When they perform I defy anyone's heart to drop below a zillion beats a minute.
Down on the floor and up in the seated gallery there was a whole lot of shakin' going on
Fonseca played some jazzy Cuban sounds whilst the flautist whose name was lost in the musical maelstrom had a superb feature. Trumpet too blew in that fine old Cuban tradition.
Rhythm section cooked up a musical gumbo that melted your toenails.
Afterwards, the party spilled out on to the Concourse where the DJs were stoking up the Cuban Fire and the dancers gave out with the appropriate movements. How I wish I'd learn't to Cha-Cha!
It was all in all a rather beautiful night - I think my pulse is just about back to normal.
"Hello, is that Thomas Cook? I'd like a flight to Havana - that's right, the one in Cuba..."
Lance.
at

1 comment :

. said...

It's their rainy season now.
I hav-ana idea for a 'toon shimmying and zapateadoing to the rhythm à la lance del monte.

zapateado - Latin-American dance with rhythmic tapping of the feet.

Sunday, July 04, 2010 10:16:00 am

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