Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18897 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 761 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 11.) 40.

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

September.

Thu 17: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 17: Front Porch Blues @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 17: Amphitrio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £7.00. Andrei Petrache (piano); Mike Alex (double bass); Philip Goron (drums).
Thu 17: Miles 100 @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. Jack Courtney (trumpet); Sue Ferris (tenor sax); Tom Atkinson (guitar); Alan Law (piano); Deon Krishnan (bass); Jeff Armstrong (drums). A night of Miles Davis.
Thu 24: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Stranton, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free. .

Fri 18: Danny Lownes’ Hot Club @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Mark Williams Trio @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 18: Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £10.00., £5.00. student.
Fri 18: Rivkala + Beccy Sloan @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.

Sat 19: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal. All welcome.
Sat 19: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-5:00pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner: Nina Simone. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 19: Ray Stubbs’ R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.

Sun 20: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 20: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.

Mon 21: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 21: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. Coltrane centenary.

Tue 22: ???

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A John Coltrane Centenary Concert (b. 23. 09. 1926). SOLD OUT!
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Whitley Bay International Jazz Festival Day One - Afternoon

La Retaguardia Jazz Band (Chile)
Michael McQuaid's Late-Hour Boys (Australia)
Hot Antic Jazz Band (France)
Keith Nichols' Blue Devils (UK)
The twentieth and last Whitley Bay International Jazz Festival. So much to hear across four rooms, the listener is torn this way then that.
The Sunset Café kicked-off with Chile's La Retaguardia Jazz Band. It was standing room only for this the band's debut UK performance. The eight piece, led by pianist Antonio Campusano, thoroughly entertained, indeed charmed, the audience from start to finish with numbers such as Jelly Roll Morton's Chicago Breakdown and Ellington's The Mooche.
An anticipated highlight for this correspondent was the return visit of Antipodean Michael McQuaid. The intimate confines of Kelly's Stables had the Aussies playing in a corner near the entrance and with good grace welcomed the constant stream of late/new arrivals. Multi instrumentalist McQuaid paired with clarinetist Jason Downes in a series of thrilling duels and drummer Ian Smith can certainly play that washboard! Recommended.
The concert room - The Cotton Club - hosted the French (and one part German) Hot Antic Jazz Band. The Antics got up to some antics in a most professional, crowd-pleasing performance.
The closing concert of the first afternoon promised much with Keith Nichols' rounding-up some of the best talent available to present an Ellington programme in the shape of his Blue Devils. The musicians on the stand were with Nichols the previous evening a few miles up-river in Gateshead. The two set presentation was packed with numbers from Duke's 1920's/1930's period together with one or two tunes from other eminent composers of the day. A selection of tunes including Creole Love Call, Black Beauty, The Mooche, Black and Tan Fantasy, Echoes of Harlem featured the band's soloists in endless permutations. Trumpet summits were frequent (Bent Persson and Enrico Tomasso) and Matthias Seuffert, Jean-Francois Bonnel, Robert Fowler and Graham Hughes featured throughout. The rhythm section - Malcolm Sked, Nick Ward and Martin Wheatley - marshalled by Nichols was first rate. In percussionist Nick Ward they threw away the mould! Absolutely priceless! A great start to the weekend with the promise of much more to come.
Russell.

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