Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18395 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 259 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 30 ), 69

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

March

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

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: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). Free. Chicago blues.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Scarborough Jazz Festival Day Two - Afternoon

Threeway - Steve Waterman (tpt/flg), Steve Lodder (pno/keys), Ben Crosland (bs/gtr). As the name implies, this wasn't a frontline horn with backing set up but a trio of equals playing lines that complemented and supported each other. Of the many highlights Secret Love with its bravura trumpet intro stood out before it was kicked upfield for the piano to carry with some fancy fingerwork before trumpet picked up the ball and ran with a triple-tongued blast that may have begun in Arban's Method For Trumpet but didn't end there! Breath-taking or to be more precise - circular breath-taking.
Annie O'Donnell described the sound of the Waterman flugel as falling dew and a lover's touch!
More from the poetic Annie later.
Tim Whitehead's Colour Beginnings. Tim Whitehead (ten), Liam Noble (pno), Pat Bennison (bs), Milo Fell? (dms).
This was an interesting project that, sadly for me at any rate, didn't work. The idea was that Tim, after spending 2 months looking at Turner's paintings in the Tate Gallery then produced his compositions/improvisations based on what he'd absorbed. The various images were flashed on the screens as he played and occasionally chanted. Sometimes the music was very good but frankly I was unable to relate what he was playing to what was on screen - maybe only he could.
As someone on a nearby table described it - "I became disengaged early on'.
Me too brother.
Andrea Vicari with Jazz ExTempore. Andrea Vicari (pno), Elvis Stanic (gtr/acc), Rico De Veer (bs), Christ Yotsov (dms). I suppose it had to come - a Croatian Elvis! However, this Elvis was the real deal jazzwise taking his Strat down many jazzlined journeys. He did so also on a 32 bass accordian. Andrea Vicari - the only English player in the quartet (drums Bulgaria, Bass Holland) - proved to be a jazz piano player of the highest quality and her dexterity, invention and harmonic depth were beautiful. I feel if anyone was going to do justice to a painting it would be this band.
An enjoyable afternoon - Festival Bitter tasted good as did the chips at Harry Ramsden's (Sorry Jerry but I couldn't face walking up the hill to Beiderbecke's!
Lance.

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