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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 2024).

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

17630 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 904 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (Dec. 20).

From This Moment On ...

December

Thu 26: The Boneshakers @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. The 17th annual Boneshakers’ Shindig.

Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Business as usual!.
Fri 27: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 27: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sat 28: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 11:30am. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 28: Fri 20: Castillo Nuevo @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 28: Jude Murphy, Rich Herdman & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 28: Ray Stubbs R & B All-Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Stepney Bank, Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sun 29: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 29: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 30: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.

Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Lapwing Trio @ Wallington (National Trust), Cambo, Morpeth NE61 4AR. 12 noon & 2:00pm. Admission to site £19.00.
Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Archie Brown & Friends @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00-8:00pm. Free.

January 2025

Wed 01: ???

Thu 02: ???

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: John Gregory @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar.

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 11, 2010

Whitley Bay International Jazz Festival Day Two - Afternoon

Bohem Ragtime Jazz Band (Hungary)
Andy Schumm's Bixologists (USA/UK)
Keith Stephen's Hot Club Trio with Caroline Irwin (UK)
Keith Nichols & Martin Litton - Ragtime Piano Summit (UK)
Day two of the festival saw many a bleary eye (mine included) around noon at the Village Hotel. Nice weather once again, it was a bit of a shame to head indoors to hear the jazz in the Sunset Cafe. Hungarian outfit, the Bohem Ragtime Jazz Band, held court to another sizeable audience. Led by pianist/violinist Tamas Itzes the band moved effortlessly through a wide ranging repertoire including Jelly Roll Morton.
A swift exit was necessary to get to Kelly's Stables to catch Andy Schumm's Bixologists. American cornetist Schumm is a Bix devotee. He was in the company of his fellow Americans Josh Duffee and Paul Asaro. Drummer Duffee looks the part - slicked-back hair and all - and Asaro is a student of early jazz piano styles. On this gig they were joined by the UK's Norman Field (reeds) and Paul Munnery (trombone) together with guitarist/banjoist Jacob Ulberger. Andy Schumm's cornet, to my ears, sounded remarkably like his idol. Good to listen to, make sure you catch them next time.
Down at the One-Cent Club it was standing room only to hear the north east's superb Keith Stephen's Hot Club Trio with Caroline Irwin. Hot Club-style certainly but with many more strings to their bow (or should that be ukulele?). Guitarist, banjo player, ukulele man and occcasional, indeed I suspect reluctant, vocalist, Keith Stephen is a master of early jazz guitar styles. He is much in demand in other ensembles as is rhythm guitarist and vocalist Roly Veitch. Veitch in partnership with jovial double bassist Bruce Rollo supplied a cast-iron rhythmic foundation for Stephen to do his dazzling stuff (principally on guitar).
Enter Caroline Irwin. Petite, yet big on personality, she is quite captivating, performing all sorts - What a Wonderful World to Somewhere Over... FIRE! PLEASE LEAVE THE BUILDING. FIRE! PLEASE LEAVE THE BUILDING. The hotel's fire alarm system activated just as our Ukulele Girl was taking on Judy Garland. Undaunted, the band reassembled outside in the carpark and as the saying goes 'The Show Must Go On' and it did. An impromptu couple of numbers including Stupid Cupid was met with roars of approval. Worryingly there was no sign of the fire brigade. Fortunately it was a false alarm.
We returned to the One-Cent and took up where we left off...Somewhere Over the Rainbow - fantastic! Not exactly jazz? Who cares? This was great stuff. Hear them next time they play anywhere near you and you won't be disappointed.
Staying on in the One-Cent the closing performance of the afternoon was a Ragtime Piano Summit meeting of the great Keith Nichols and the equally great Martin Litton. This was a most entertaining history of ragtime piano. Nichols and Litton are top class exponents of the form, taking time to place composer and tune in context and their playing, from Twelfth Street Rag to Maple Leaf Rag, was that of virtuosi. This was an afternoon of varied, top class jazz. More to come.
Russell.

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