Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 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

18844 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 708 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 27) 77.

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

September.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: FUNK: new musicians collective @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £6.00. Line-up inc. Chris Caygill & Daniel Chandler.
Fri 04: The Upside + Lagos to Longbenton @ Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £8.00. Ska, funk, Afro-fusion & more.

Sat 05: Alligator Gumbo @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 05: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Hartlepool Art Gallery. 4:00-6:15pm. £6.00. Concert performance. Tickets available from the venue - tel: 01429 869706.
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 06: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Ian Bosworth (guitar); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Jeremy McMurray (keyboards); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Mark Hawkins (drums) & guest Mick Donnelly (tenor sax).
Sun 06: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Ropner Park, Stockton. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Nils Kavanagh Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 07: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 08: Seijiro Murayama & Jean-Luc Guionnet @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Warwick St., Newcastle, NE2 1BB. 7.00pm. £10.00 (advance); £12.00 (on door); £.15.00 (solidarity).
Tue 08: SH#RP Collective @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 08: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: 58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club. 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: NONUNONU @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE. Excellent trio.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Jacenaite All Crew @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 10: Emma Rawicz INKYRA @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.30. Sage Two. Line-up: Emma Rawicz (sax); Scottie Thompson (piano, keyboards, synth); David Preston (guitar); Kevin Glasgow (bass guitar); Jack Thomas (drums).

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christmas in the Jazz Café

John Rowland (ten), Pete Gilligan (pno), Stu Findon (bs), Fiona Littlewood (vcl).
I arrived at Jazz Café armed with shopping (Jazz Journal and Down Beat) and it looked as though reading them would be the extent of today's jazz content at the Pink Lane Jazzerie - although Keith did spin some nice Lionel Hampton. "Jazz on the marimba remarked one 'knowledgeable' youth!"
Eventually, John Rowland arrived and, together with Pete the Piano, they played All Blues. It was good.
Stu and Fiona showed and with them a goodly throng who appreciated Fi's renditions of Softly As In A Morning Sunrise, Nearness of You, Now's The Time and Four to mention but some.
John Rowland had impressive Ike Quebec moments on tenor and Pete's percussive piano made up for the lack of a drummer. On bass Stu Findon kept it on the straight and not so narrow.
It was a good afternoon with mince pies and other delicacies handed round by mein host.
Merry Xmas Keith.
To add to the ambience my old friend Judith showed.
The ambience disappeared outside when we discovered the dreaded snow had returned!
Still it was a good afternoon and what's a little snow anyway amongst friends?
Lance.

4 comments :

Anonymous said...

Hi Lance, is the sunday afternoon jam on next week?

Lance said...

I have it on authority (Pete Gilligan) that it is.

Anonymous said...

Ok, thank you very much. It's my girlfriend's 18th, so it'll be her first time there and she's very much looking forward to it.

Lance said...

Wish her many happy returns from me.

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