Bebop Spoken There

David Bailey (photographer): ''When I was 16 I wanted to look like Chet Baker. He was my idol - him and James Dean.'' (Talking Pictures documentary : Four beats to the bar and no cheating April, 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

18445 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 309 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 20 ) 43,

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

April

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 22: Nubiyan Twist @ Digital, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £28.75 (inc. bf).
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 22: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 7:30pm. Date, time & admission TBC.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 23: FILM: Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 6:15pm. Dir. Robert Clem (2025).
Thu 23: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 23: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 23: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra & Musicians Unlimited @ ARC, Stockton. 8:00pm. £19.00. inc. bf.

Fri 24: Noel Dennis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. Dennis, Mark Willams, Andy Champion.
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Trio Grand @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Ben Vince + The Exu @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £14.33., £11.16, £8.00. A ‘jazz adjacent’ gig!
Fri 24: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £13.20 (inc. bf).
Fri 24: TBC @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.

Sat 25: Giles Strong Quartet @ Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. 7:30pm.
Sat 25: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf).
Sat 25: ‘Portrait in Evans’: Noa Levy & Alan Barnes w. Paul Edis Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £24.00. Sage Two. ‘Portrait in Evans’. Levy, Barnes, Edis, Andy Champion & Steve Hanley.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 26: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ni Maxine + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sun 26: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 26: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00., £7.00.

Mon 27: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: House of Blues @ the Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £7.00., £5.00. advance. A student-led jazz session. ‘House of Blues’ is, perhaps, a misnomer.
Mon 27: Littlewood Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00 + bf, £7.00. + bf.

Tue 28: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!

Monday, April 25, 2011

AND ANOTHER GREAT AFTERNOON – JAZZ CAFE ON SUNDAY!

What a joy to be able to be at the Jazz Café for nearly the whole of the Sunday session, from 4.30pm till 10.10pm. Goodness knows what time it finished. Café boss Keith was in fine form, discussing politics and music with anyone who’d listen. The musicians too were in fine form, especially Pete Gilligan on piano, improvising wonderfully, trilling, striding, flowing, always tuneful, and playing more notes in four bars than seems humanly possibly; and Mark Williams on jazz guitar, playing well (an understatement) with hints and riffs of classical, rock, in fact riffs from all over the place. As Pete said to Mark before one of their tunes, ‘muck about, but we’ve got to play the riffs in time’. I hope Pete doesn’t mind me quoting him, but I think it’s a wonderful summing up of jazz at its improvisational best.
And to my delight, the afternoon began with a woman singer, Lucy Caplan, who had a strong gutsy voice, very friendly personality, and sang Desifinado in Portuguese (our editor thought it needed to be in a key a tone higher but what does he know!?). Lucy also treated us to Sunny; Sway; Black Coffee; and Moondance. She allowed loads of space for Pete’s solos as well. I hear a rumour that these two are preparing for a gig, so that’s something to watch out for. Be there!
Then, to more delight, came Claire Kelly to sing, accompanied by Mark, a tenderly sensitive version of I’ve Grown Accustomed to His Face; and Love Me or Leave Me.
And so the music continued in a relaxed atmosphere with people slipping in and out to smoke, buy sarnies, and people chatting to Keith at the bar. Musicians came and went. The bass player (Paul Grainger) and tenor sax (Doug Fielder) were there most of the time, Pete gave up his piano to a skilled younger player (Colm Rooney) for a while, and later the bass was replaced by a bass guitar (Willie Angus), and Alan Law popped in to play alto sax. Lucy sang again and the microphone kept cutting out, but, unfazed, she carried on with a Blues in C and Take the A Train.
Other numbers heard included In a Sentimental Mood; How Insensitive; Petite Fleur; It Had To Be You; But Beautiful and many others. I was sorry to leave before the end, but when I heard the song about the A Train I was reminded of the Metro that I needed to catch. Somehow, Take the Tyne and Wear Metro just doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?
Catch it all for yourself next week!
Ann Alex.
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