Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,066 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 930 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 31) 109.

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

November

Sat 07: Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party @ Village Hotel, West Allotment. 12 noon. Day 2/3.
Sat 07: Ewan Bleach’s Cable Street Ragtime Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington.
12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club. Superb band.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Find Your Pocket: Funk & Groove. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Red Kites Jazz @ Costa Café, St James’ Retail Park, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sat 07: Ray Stubbs’ R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 6:00pm.

Sun 08: Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party @ Village Hotel, West Allotment. 12 noon. Day 3/3.
Sun 08: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 08: Kaberry Big Band @ Forest Hall Social Club. 3:00pm. £7.00 (inc. tea & cake). Charity event for the Poppy Appeal.
Sun 08: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 09: Bechet-Spanier Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.; £5.00. Muggsy Spanier was born 125 years ago today (9 November 1901). This afternoon’s all-star quartet - from London, Lewis Taylor (cornet) & Michael McQuaid (reeds), from Paris, Félix Hunot (guitar), from London, Harry Evans (string bass) - salutes Muggsy!
Mon 09: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Bechet-Spanier Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. Muggsy Spanier was born 125 years ago today (9 November 1901). This evening’s all-star quartet - from London, Lewis Taylor (cornet), from London, Michael McQuaid (reeds), from Paris, Félix Hunot (guitar), from London, Harry Evans (string bass) - salutes Muggsy!

Tue 10: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Becky Tuck (vocals).
Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 11: Plague Doctors Cure All + Noonward @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: JANE @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 12: MoonMot + Jack Banjo’s Snackwall @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 12: Ratio: Swingin’ Through the Decades @ The Forum, Darlington. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £10.00. A charity fundraiser.
Thu 12: Look Left @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Thu 12: Michael Woods @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Acoustic blues.

Fri 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Giles Strong (guitar); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 13: Lapwing Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Richard Herdman, Jude Murphy, Paula Whitty.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Hexham Lantern Parade, Bandstand, Sele, Hexham. 6:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Sharp Collective @ Dry Water Arts, Amble. 7:00pm.
Fri 13: East Coast Swing Band @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm.
Fri 13: Guisborough Big Band @ Saltburn Golf Club. 7:30pm. Tickets: £15.00 (inc. pie & peas

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Remembering Chris - Corner House, Newcastle

Alan Glen (pno), John Pope (bs), David Carnegie (dms). It was just on 1:00pm when Alan went into Love For Sale and already the room was close to capacity. How Deep Is The Ocean followed by, as one has come to expect from Alan, a further selection of choice tunes. An immaculate set by the swingiest, boppiest trio around. This was worth the entry on its own.
If you missed them or want to here them again they play the Chilli on Chillingham Road, Heaton, next Wednesday (July28).
Paul Edis (pno), Graham Hardy (tpt/flg), Graeme Wilson (ten), Chris Hibbard (tmb), Mick Shoulder (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms). It took a sextet to follow the previous trio! Led by another piano ace, Paul Edis, who also doubled as sound engineer, the group opened up with a rather moody, but harmonically strong, original; Dorian Gray, followed by a beautifully charted In A Sentimental Mood before rocking out on Angular. A well contrasted set with impressive solos all-round. Graham Hardy blew his socks off - clearly not over-awed by the act to follow.
Steve Waterman (tpt/flg), Roly Veitch (gtr), Neil Harland (bs), Adam Sinclair (dms). From the opening Stella By Starlight the now standing room only bar knew Steve was playing for keeps. He had moments of Freddy Hubbard on Invitation and screamed in the upper on Line For Lyons sounding nothing like Chet although Steve and Roly did indulge in some Mulligan Quartet type interplay. Roly's clean-cut solos the perfect foil for Steve's virtuosity. A memorable gem.
Alan Barnes (alt), Graeme Wilson (ten), Graham Hardy (tpt/flg), Paul Edis (pno), Mick Shoulder (bs), David Carnegie (dms). By this time the walls were bursting at the seams as the audience numbers continued to grow. Chris Yates couldn't have had a finer tribute paid to him than by the quality of the music or by the turn out. It's You Or No One kicked from bar one with Alan Barnes unleashing soul-searing choruses and both Graham and Graeme staying with him. The final Blues Walk raised the bar even higher.
Graeme Wilson (ten), Roly Veitch (gtr), Neil Harland (bs), Scotty Adair (dms). Where will it end? Just so much good music surely this is the gig of the decade.
Roly puts in the polished performance we have come to expect from him with Graeme blowing nice smooth middle period tenor - can this be the same guy who sometimes singes the rooftops?
We don't often see Scotty on a jazz gig these days but he's still got it - he still swings.
Tim Garland (ten/sop), Andy Champion (bs), Adrian Tilbrook (dms). Suddenly we're in a different game. Tim Garland went snarling into Killer Joe and battered KJ into submission. It was an awesome performance - even Chris may have struggled to find the right adjective for this one - backed up to the hilt by Andy and Adrian who handled everything Tim, who was hot this afternoon, slung at them. Throughout the set castles crumbled, Gibralter tumbled but these boys were here to stay for the final set where they were thrown back into the fray reinforced by Paul Edis (pno), Alan Barnes (alt), Steve Waterman (tpt).
This was the finale to end all finales. Blasting off on What Is This Thing Called Love, they really went for the jugular on the final Anthropology. This was Jazz At The Phil revisited. A million choruses by Alan Barnes on alto, a trip to Mars and beyond by Steve and a kickass tenor surge by Tim - this guy should be walkin' the bar in New Orleans he can blow that kind of tenor.
Naturally the crowd ovated standing so the boys gave us How Deep Is The Ocean which brought us the full circle from Alan Glen's opening set.
What a gig! I'm still up where the air is rarefied and all these guys gave of their services free - such was the respect the late Chris Yates was held in.
Lance.
PS: Pam Young photos to follow.

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