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

18957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 821 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 30.) 100.

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.

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 07: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Northern Stage, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman stage play inspired by Nina Simone. Second night of two.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 08: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations).
Thu 08: Indigo Jazz Voices w. Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 09: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 09: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle.

Sat 10: Catfish Keith @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.00. + bf. Jumpin’ Hot Club.

Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Feat. guest Jack ‘Banjo’ Courtney (trumpet).
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Harry Christelis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A Jazz Co-op-JNE co-promotion.

Mon 12: Jack Pearce Quintet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 12: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Julija Jacenaite (vocals).

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Sirkis Comes To Town - The Sage, Hall Two.

Asaf Sirkis Trio: Asaf Sirkis (perc), Pat Bennison (bs/hca), Tassos Piliotopoulos (gtr).
Art of Sound Trio: John Law (pno), Tom Farmer (bs), Asaf Sirkis (perc).
Two trios, five outstanding musicians, the ingredients were all there and yet...
Asaf Sirkis (pictured left), the common denominator to both groups, is undeniably a drummer/percussionist of world standing. He has been compared to Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette and there is no doubting his technique which was heard to great effect with both groups.
Tassos Piliotopoulos is a fast fingered fretman whilst Bennison has long been recognised as a top bass guitar man - tonight he added harmonica to his C.V.
...and yet somehow the whole was less than the sum of the individual parts.
I can't quite explain it. The pieces were original, showed changes of tempo, different modes, yet didn't quite cut it for me. A little too much introspective probing, searching, seeking direction.
Not my bag.
Having said that, the steady flow of folk buying Asaf's CDs during the interval put me clearly in the minority!
John Law's Art of Sound Trio. This was better! Laws is one of the newer breed who can play jazz with ne'er a blue note nor flattened fifth in sight! If Bach had still been around he may have sounded like this after he'd had a Kronnenbourg or six and that is a compliment to both John and Johann Sebastian.
This was superb piano playing even though he did do strange things inside the piano - thankfully no table tennis balls!
Bassist Tom Farmer did the biz on bass and Sirkis had a grand solo finale.
The Curate may have supplied the eggs but they certainly weren't poached!
An okay gig.
Lance.

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