Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Sun 14: Musicians Unlimited + Darlington Big Band @ West Hartlepool RFC. 12 noon-6:00pm. £9.00. Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party. SOLD OUT!
Sun 14: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 14: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 6:30pm. £15.18 (inc. bf).
Sun 14: Paul Skerritt @ The Black Candle, South Shields. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 14: Sean Noonan Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.

Mon 15: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 16: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Tue 16: A Jazzy Xmas @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Tue 16: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

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

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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