Total Pageviews

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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sun 09: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 09: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ The Forum, Billingham. 3:00pm.
Sun 09: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Tom Remon & Mark Williams @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 09: Rod Oughton’s Tomorrow’s New Quartet with Ben van Helder @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Deschanel Gordon.
Sun 09: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 11: Steve Summers Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Free. Inc. Olly Styles (tenor sax).
Thu 13: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: Artist Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Hannabiell & Midnight Blue.
Thu 13: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 12:30-1:30pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ 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

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Norma Winstone Trio/Charles Lloyd Quartet @ The Barbican

Norma Winstone (vcl), Klaus Gesing (bs clt/sop), Glauco Venier (pno).
-----
Charles Lloyd (ten), Jason Moran (pno), Reuben Rogers (bs), Eric Harland (dms).
-----
I don't think I've heard Norma to such advantage. Her sound, her pitching, the timbre of the voice was as near to perfection as anything I've heard from her yet. This wasn't happy music - it was dark and sombre, not like the blues, more related to a Gothic poet such as Keats or Shelley. The voice filled the vast chasm it created beautifully. Alongside, the bass clarinet added it's own portent of doom whilst the piano provided haunting support.
Even the popular song Everybody's Talkin' took on a completely new identity.
This really was something else.
During the interval the queue for the CD that provided the material - Stories Yet To Tell - stretched to the coast (a slight exageration I admit) and the trio happily signed copies until the bell went for Round Two.
After Norma's set and Piero Odorici's tenor playing last night, Charles Lloyd faced a bar that was almost impossibly high and in my eyes at least he failed to clear it.
The sound was pure but so it should be for a guy who plays so many long notes! Not that there was anything wrong with his playing but each number seemed to drag on for an eternity before anything happened.
I Fall In Love Too Easily was the exception. This was a masterpiece beginning soft and mellow building up to a frenetic climax from Lloyd before Moran took over and upped the tempo. Wow!
If only there had been more like it. As the night drew on I began looking at my watch more frequently mentally calculating whether I could catch the last set at The Spice.
In the end I decided to go for it.
Earlier, on the Freestage, I enjoyed listening to the Kairos 4Tet (pict right) in the company of the Good Doctor Nicola, The 'Pres' of Chile Claude and ex-pat Ben Gilbert.
Despite my reservations it was a good evening much appreciated by the crowd.
Why don't all jazz gigs pull such large numbers?
Lance.

1 comment :

. said...

But but but.. quality, not necessarily quantity. Jazz (don't you just love her?) is private, intimate, intelligent, personal dialogue between individual and 'her'. In a crowded room one can easily shut out everything and focus solely on that out of this world dialogue. I wish I was there.

Blog Archive