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February 2025
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.
Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 16: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: BBC Introducing NE X MOBO Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Jambone, Knats, Rivkala, SwanNek.
Sun 16: The Shayo Experience @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 16: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 16: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.
Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Reviewers wanted
Friday, February 18, 2011
Alister Spence Trio w. Raymond MacDonald @ The Lit and Phil, Newcastle.

Blog Archive
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2011
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February
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- Tonight @ The Cherry Tree
- HAQ @ Splinter @ The Bridge. February 28
- Alex Welsh photo details wanted.
- Didn't HAQ it tonight - HAQ @ The Bridge
- Jammin' @ The Jazz Café
- THOSE PORTHOLE BLUES AGAIN by Keith Armstrong.
- Ossie Riani by Peter Riani
- I WENT TO CHURCH ON FRIDAY – TO HEAR THE JAZZ RASCALS
- Elaine Binney & The Jazz Rascals @ Durant Hall
- HAQ
- New Century Ragtime Orchestra update from Phil
- If You Gotta Get a Dep Get the Best
- Bixieland
- Jazz Rascals to record live session.
- Dearly Beloved
- First Gig of a new residency for the Maine Street ...
- You can buy just about anything on eBay
- SHE’S GOT SWING! Cherry Tree Restaurant
- More Edis tonight at the Cherry Tree
- Paul Edis Sextet @ The Bridge. Sunday 20th February
- Off The Leash Take It To The Bridge and Elsewhere
- Penguin Café & Portico Quartet @ The Sage
- Jazz Café Jam
- Matt Monro - We`re Gonna Change The World
- Paul Gamblin Memorial
- Don't Miss Out on This One!
- Where are the George Shearing tributes?
- Hank Mobley on Jazz Library Today
- Alister Spence Trio w. Raymond MacDonald @ The Lit...
- Rendezvous Jazz @ The Porthole.
- Snippets of Jazz on Women's Hour
- Ernie Jackson on Tony Scott
- Bell & Bucket Jazz Band @ The Bell & Bucket, Norfo...
- Not a Vintage Spice
- Gillespiana @ King's Head, Crouch End
- The Saddest Possible Day. Farewell Sir George
- Fundraising at Newbiggin w. Keith Stephen Trio & C...
- Some Reporters Have Priority Issues - Grammy Awards
- Tonight at the Cherry Tree
- Legohead @ The Bridge
- No Time For Jive @ Central Bar - Gateshead.
- No Jitterbugging Allowed
- Jazz is Where You Find It
- Maine Street Jazzmen @ Jazz at the Fell @ the Legi...
- Let's Fall In Love
- A History of Jazz in Newcastle by John Pearce.
- First Newcastle JATP Concert.
- RIP Don Ferrara
- Musicon Durham Jazz Festival
- Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark is stiil a go...
- IKE ISAACS by Maurice Summerfield
- Love Is Here To Stay
- Durham Jazz Festival
- Bill Harper on Joe Young.
- 1939 DownBeat Readers Poll
- Zoe Gilby Quartet @ Ashington Jazz Club Feb 2.
- A chance to relive the Creole Choir of Cuba
- NEJC & Friends Beerdorado Tour - Saturday 5th Feb
- The Safe Sextet (all five of them) @ The Bridge
- Jazz Café Jam
- Elvis Lives in Gateshead via Romania!
- The Chicken's Last Stand @ Ned Kelly's.
- Poetry's Second Life. Northern Stage
- Stan Tracey Duo/Trio @ Darlington Arts Centre. Feb...
- Secular Saturday
- Greetings From Our Man in Hong Kong
- Congratulations are in the offing.
- Darlo Doings
- Goodbye Tony Levin
- Maine Street @ Rosie's
- Sarah Gillespie @ Cluny 2. February 2nd
- Justin Hayford - fanning the flame.
- Customs House Big Band @ The New Crown, South Shie...
- Tonight - Schmazz at Cluny 2
- Update on Jazz At The Fell
- New York Walk - Derek Nash
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February
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2 comments :
I think I concur with the general thrust of your argument. There was some blistering playing but, perhaps as the photograph suggests, something was absent.
Russell
It wasn't easy for me to lever myself out on Friday having, like poor Russell, the head-cold from hell. Add to this my reaction to Alister's performance at The Cluny last year which didn't really move me, so I impressed myself that I GOT to the Lit n Phil. Of course I knew how much Chris Calver had riding on this 1st jazz gig and wanted to show my support, not to mention that I won Alister's FIT album in the raffle at the Dr Chad gig last year.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. Why?
I sat as close to the drum kit as HSE guidelines recommend, finding Chris Cantillo's percussion flea circus absolutely compelling. I handed him a butterfly nut that had fallen off the bass drum - he nodded and added it to the array of prayer bells on the snare drum - ting!
Then there was the inimitable Raymond MacDonald, who stepped forward from under the portrait of Gene Hackman's grandad with Babaresque determination and stance to match - his blend of circular breathing chromatics and contrasting lyrical phrasing had the cobra of my interest well and truly charmed!
Joe Williamson's devotion to his bass gut strings - plucked and bowed - combined with his Joe 90 specs also had me enthralled - cool but essential in his improvisational technique.
In all honesty I think we have Alister to thank for bringing these 3 together and providing the string percussion. He's a bloody good piano player but he's Legion - now Keith Jarrett, now Cecil Taylor, now Keith Tippett - for me he needs to come out, on his OWN side!
As a jazz venue, the room was brightly incongruous with the ghostly portraits of the Lit & Phil's literati looking disapprovingly down. Raymond's swaying Soprano sax however turned the one red spotlight by the piano into my own personal disco strobe, which added to the surreality of the happening.
Let's face it, I haven't really forgiven Alister for not knowing who Peter Sculthorpe is!
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