Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: ''It was then that Coltrane came along and single-handedly brought this dimension of spirituality into jazz. It was a pivotal experience to me.'' (DownBeat 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

19,012 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 876 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 16) 55.

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

October.

Sat 17: SunOrbitUs @ Culture House, Sunderland. 11:00am - 5:00pm. Closing event in a year-long piece of music. 11:00am-1:00pm Improvisation workshop w. Faye MacCalman; 2:00-5:00pm Collective Improvised Performance by Sunderland residents. SOLD OUT!
Sat 17: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 17: Martin Taylor @ Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £48.72; £43.37. Solo guitar. SOLD OUT!

Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Jump jive.
Sun 18: Guisborough Big Band @ Redcar Rugby Club. 5:00-8:00pm. ‘Charity Big Band Birthday Bash’ in aid of Parkinson’s UK & Young Sounds UK. Free (donations on the door).
Sun 18: Martin Taylor @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £23.30. Solo guitar.
Sun 18: Ben Crosland Quartet with Steve Waterman @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 19: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Pete Tanton (trumpet, flugelhorn).
Tue 20: Graham Hardy’s Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Head, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Tickets from Tully’s, Rothbury. Coquetdale Jazz. Note change of venue.
Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, Scotty Adair.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 21: FILM: Blue Moon @ Washington Arts Centre. 1:00pm. £4.50 (inc. bf). Biopic of lyricist Lorenz Hart.
Wed 21: De'Sean Jones’ Urban Art Orchestra @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.; £5.00. student, unwaged; free to Mercury Awards ticket holders. De'Sean Jones (tenor sax, EWI); Tjoe Man Cheung (guitar); Mikele Montolli (double bass) + others TBA.
Wed 21: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 21: Roby Glod-Steve Sewell Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Thu 22: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 22: Mercury Prize @ Utility Arena Newcastle. 8:00pm. £60.25.; £48.75. Line-up inc. Knats.
Thu 22: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bandstand!, Exhibition Park, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.20 (inc. bf) via Instagram. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Thu 22: Olly Styles Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.75.

Fri 23: Sara Oschlag w. Arnie Somogyi Trio @ The Lit & Phil. 1:00pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); John Hirst (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 23: Maja Bugge & Dave Evans @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Fri 23: Knats @ King Street Social Club, North Shields. 7:00pm. £17.00., £14.70., £11.30., £5.50. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.
Fri 23: Sara Oschlag & Arnie Somogyi w. Ben Lawrence @ Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); Arnie Somogyi (double bass).
Fri 23: Ronnie Scott’s Soho Songbook @ Redhills, Durham. 8:00pm. James Pearson (piano); Sam Burgess (double bass); Chris Higginbottom (drums); Alex Garnett (sax); Polly Gibbons (vocals). Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: SwanNek + Jacob Egglestone @ Fabio’s Bar, Durham. 9:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Omid's Express & Take It to The Bridge @ The Chilli

Omid's Express: Omid Ramak (drums), Andrew Porritt (electric bass), Alan Law (keyboards), Matthew Office (guitar), Stuart Finden (tenor saxophone) & Fiona Littlewood (vocals). Take It To The Bridge: Dave Weisser (trumpet & vocals), Dougie Fielder (tenor saxophone), Jim Crinson (guitar), Barrie Ascroft (keyboards), Ivan Scutt (electric bass) & Rob Bates (drums) + Gaby (vocals) On a chilly night at the Chilli there was much entertainment on offer. Downstairs in the bar, with a perfect pint of Workie Ticket at hand, there was the satisfying spectacle on the big screen of Tottenham Hotspur being torn apart by Inter (some of us had backed the Milanese). then at half time it was time to go upstairs to hear some jazz. Seated in time to hear the first number, Weisser & Co. gave it to us just as we like it - Straight No Chaser. Dizzy's Woody 'n You was a good one with Dougie Fielder on form. Dave Weisser announced that he had recently celebrated a birthday. As the audience started to sing Happy Birthday Dave said 'Please, don't' - he'd prefer to look ahead and duly started to sing Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow. The Chilli being a jazz cats' haunt, this was an unwelcome development, which, thankfully, was cut short by bassist Ivan Scutt's plea - 'Let's play some jazz'. Dave said 'Okay, guys' and we got Jobim's classic bossa nova Wave with good vocals from the Main Man and Scutt soloing sympathetically. This week's guests Omid's Express, formed recently by young drummer Omid Ramak, was making its debut performance and we heard a varied programme with some interesting arrangements. Budvivarians Fiona Littlewood and Stuart Finden were out front and the back line was marshalled with good humour by band leader Ramak. New Budvivarian Alan Law played a blues-drenched intro and guitarist Matthew Office constructed the first of several tasteful solos as Ms. Littlewood opined Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You with tenorist Finden blowing authoritatively throughout. Other tunes included Well You Needn't, once again featuring good work from Littlewood and Law and bassist Andrew Porritt and the tired old warhorse Summertime was reinvigorated by the band and Finden got it just right - Paul Desmond with an edge. This was a promising debut. Ramak is one to watch, so too Office. A rapid return visit to the Chilli by Omid's Express seems more than likely. The evening's entertainment concluded with TITTB's late second set. Mainstay Barrie Ascroft played good piano on Bob Mintzer's Three Views of a Secret and Jim Crinson was in fine form all evening, not least on Tadd Dameron's Good Bait. An unexpected highlight (the unexpected is one of the highlights of a Chilli session) was a late, late appearance from Gaby. We heard her sing two classic tunes - Love Me Or Leave Me and Lady Sings The Blues. Excellent. Next week's guests: Alan Glen Trio. Russell
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