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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 2025).

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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: ?

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Jamie McCredie @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. THIS WEEK ONLY JAMES BIRKETT (guitar)!
Fri 28: Luis Verde Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Knats @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.50. (inc bf.). Album launch gig. Support act TBC.
Fri 28: Black is the Color of My Voice @ The Gala, Durham. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, performed by Florence Odumosu.
Fri 28: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival: Musicians Unlimited @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. £10.00. (Weekend ticket £20.00., available on the door). Day 1/3. Musicians Unlimited in concert.
Fri 28: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

MARCH 2025

Sat 01: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 11:00am. £15.00. Day 2/3.
Sat 01: TJ Johnson Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Get your funk on! Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ The Watch House, Cullercoats. 2:00-3:30pm. Free.
Sat 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers. Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Lapwing Jazz Trio @ Three Sheets to the Wind, Alnwick. 5:15pm or 5:45pm (times tbc). Part of the Alnwick Story Festival's music fringe programme: Free.
Sat 01: Struggle Buggy @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Blues band.
Sat 01: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Joseph O’Brien: The Ultimate Tribute to Frank Sinatra @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. O’Brien & seven piece band (inc. Wendy Kirkland, Jim Corry & Pat Sprakes).
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: Jack & Jay’s Vintage Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Bebop Spoken Here Interviews Darius Brubeck

Prior to their forthcoming concert - Brubecks Play Brubeck - at The Sage, Gateshead, I conducted a telephone interview with Darius Brubeck.
LL: Firstly, let me ask you about Dave - how is he?
DB: Dave's well, he played a concert two nights ago and he'll be playing The Blue Note on Thanksgiving, that's Thursday the 25th and (pause) you know he's actually amazing in what he still does.
LL: He must be just about the oldest, active, living jazzman.
DB: I hesitate to say that but if he's not the oldest he's certainly among them. One thing he doesn't do any more is tour internationally you know he won't ever be coming to Europe, to England again.
LL: He's always been much loved and well-respected up in this neck of the woods - North East England - is he a hard act to follow?
DB: Not to follow, I'd say he's a hard act to equal - there's a difference. No the name is a good platform for us, but it's the music that counts - it's the music that is a good platform for us. Like it's a tribute to him really as he turns 90 on December 6.
LL: How's the tour going so far?
DB: It's going very well. We opened in Liverpool on the 20th and then we did Edinburgh on the 21st, Manchester was last night then we drove all the way down to Croydon which is where we are now. We'll be playing there tonight (Tuesday). And so it goes. No really all of the concerts have been good I've been very heartened by the people showing up who really show an understanding of the music which is very welcoming and, as you might know as a Jazz Blogger, Ronnie Scott's was sold out. But that's London you know the whole risk is can we draw crowds away from the Metropole?
LL: I'm rather curious about your choice of Dave O'Higgins. The reason I say that is a tenor as opposed to an alto, British rather than American? Don't get me wrong, I think you've made a very good choice.
DB: Ok I'll tell you how that came about. it's really pretty simple. I was in South Africa for about 25 years teaching there and I first met Dave O'Higgins when he went on tour in South Africa and subsequently when I came up here I've played with him a few times and we've developed a really good relationship and also I wanted a British musician with his own following to add to it and he's a fantastic player. And that question leads up to something I want to put into the interviews and that is that this is the first time this group has been on tour. People might assume we've done it all around the world and everywhere but that's not the case. Brubecks plays Brubeck was put together for this occasion, this time of year, leading up to the birthday and Clint Eastwood produced a film that's going out and we're doing an all Brubeck program which we haven't done before so this is really a special occasion.
LL: Did Dave, your father that is, have any influence on what instruments you chose when you were kids?
DB: I think what it comes down to is it relates to birth order really. I was the first born, and therefore the first one to take up an instrument and naturally it was piano and Chris and Dan came along. Chris could play and does play piano a bit but we saw them rehearsing at home but, after a while, there was always a drum kit set up in the house and a bass under the piano it was pretty natural for us to turn into a rhythm section and then Chris took up trombone and he's a really great trombonist and he's written a couple of trombone concertos and he's done a lot of composing for orchestras so he has those sort of chops too.
LL: Your program on the tour - is it all tried and tested Brubeck stuff or do you have anything of your own in?
DB: We have two numbers of our own - we could do more but we recognise the obligation to play the hits that people want so they will get Blue Rondo, Take Five and they will get the things that they recognise.
LL: I also liked the earlier stuff - Jazz At Oberlin, even the Octet things.
DB: Well that's good. You know a lot of Jazz At Oberlin - most of those albums - were standards.
We thought about this and came to the conclusion that really the best thing would be to present Dave's own material but from every period so I've programmed Two-Part Contention for instance, like the Octet stuff it uses a lot of counterpoint, and we have The Duke and In Your Own Sweet Way and a couple of numbers from Jazz Impressions of Eurasia, Nomad and the Golden Horn. So we haven't restricted it just to the pops.
LL: Does Dave, your father, still keep a fatherly eye on your playing?
DB: When we visit sometimes we play a little two pianos. It's more that I keep a filial eye on his playing and listening to him practice and he has a great big studio adjacent to the bedroom where my wife and I usually stay in and sometimes I just lay on the bed and listen to some of the literally thousands of standards that he knows. Very occasionally we'll play some of his own stuff on two pianos because he has two grand pianos in his studio. Sometimes, it's not often, but sometimes he'll ask me to play some Bach for him and to talk about it or he'll take out some other classical music that he's interested in. Neither of us could play it at a performance level but he's interested in all kinds of music and it's very nice when those dialogues happen.
LL: I think we're running out of time I know I'm looking forward to hearing you play at The Sage, Gateshead.
DB: We've never played there. I've heard its a good venue.
LL: Yes it's really good - some say the best in Europe if not the world.
DB: Good to talk.
Lance.
Brubecks Play Brubeck. Tuesday Nov 30 The Sage, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £21.50.

1 comment :

Unknown said...

What a great interview Lance so knowledgeable.
Well done!!

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