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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

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 16: MOBO Song @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 12 noon. Free, performances on the concourse. Line-up inc. Jazz Attack (on stage time TBC) & Jambone (12:20pm).
Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt 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. .

Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Matt Forster Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 17: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Jazz Milestones - 1975.
Thu 20: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 20: Orange Claw Hammer + Peony @ The Globe, Newcastle.7:30pm. Orange Claw Hammer play Captain Beefheart.
Thu 20: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Featuring special guest Zoë Gilby.

Fri 21: JazzMain @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 21: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. TBC.
Fri 21: Emma Rawicz w. Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

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, May 24, 2011

Erin Dickins Interviewed - A Bebop Spoken Here Exclusive!


1: Great album and such a great mix of tunes - standards like Can’t We Be Friends - how did you know that is my favourite song! Who shared the vocal?
Songs come from all kinds of sources…..I just adore that song! I was doing a regular gig at a fantastic little Italian restaurant called Scossa, in my hometown. A member of the staff, my friend Greg Rohman, had a jazz mix up while we were loading in one night. I told him how much I liked his taste and he burned me a disc of that mix. Well, I first heard this song (done by Ella and Louis Armstrong) while I was in the car and I had to pull over. It just knocked me out!
From the first listen, I knew exactly whom I wanted for the duet – my producer, Jesse Frederick. Jesse and I have been great friends and singing partners for many years and we are totally inside each other’s heads. I knew the key would be perfect for him, so I took a big leap of faith and tracked it.  He kept saying, “No, you should get a well-known jazz-er to do it.”  So, I actually talked to Jon Hendricks about the solo. But before I took it to him up to New York, Jesse recorded a reference vocal of the male part so Jon could hear the duet. It was perfection. Jon loved the recording, but was doing some touring at the time, so we couldn’t get him in the studio soon enough to lay the vocal.  I was secretly glad, because I really, really wanted Jesse to sing it!  And guess what? Jesse’s original reference vocal, which he sang in one take, is the final that you hear on the CD. He is an absolutely amazing singer, and I am a very happy artist!! I would LOVE to have Jon on something soon, and I’ll work on that!
 2: Can I be honest and say I don’t recall you with Man Tran? I remember Janet and Laurel so maybe you were there before them? If that was the case, going by your photo today you must have been 6 years old!
Totally! I was young enough that my mother had to sign my deal with Capitol Records!!! I was a founder of the original group with Timmy, Pat Rosalia, and Marty Nelson. Laurel and I used to do a lot of studio work together back then and Janis and I were friends, but didn’t work too much together. They started in maybe 1973 I am thinking? I attribute all my years of clean living for my youthful looks and my great memory! LOL!
3: When you left MT did you pursue a solo career immediately or was it for family reasons (I know I could check all this out but nice to have it from you.)
No, I actually got into doing studio work. New York was the heart of the recording industry and there were amazing projects going on. I recorded with Jaco Pastorius, The Talking Heads, Yoko Ono, Leonard Cohen, Gregg Allman, Roberta Flack, and many, many others.
4: Do you work with a regular band or various musicians according to the gig?
All of the above.  In a perfect world, I’d like to have the same cats play all my gigs, but that only happens when touring. I play a lot with just solo piano - with an amazing musician named Stef Scaggiari. My favorite configuration is rhythm, three horns, accordion, synth for color and a couple of singers.
5: The band on the CD is just perfect and the songs - woo-hoo! Love the title track!  Who wrote that one?
The band on the CD is astounding. My feet never touched the ground during those tracking sessions! Rob Mounsey is singularly the most tuned-in pianist I have ever had the pleasure of knowing!! His feels and melodic sense are impeccable. David Finck, Francois Moutin and Ray Marchica were just over the top, too. Totally delicious.
Bobby Troup wrote the title tune, Nice Girls Don’t Stay for Breakfast, for his wife, Julie London, with co-writer Jerome Leshay. I can just picture her singing it. I love that sultry, velvet-y melody. And I love tunes with a hook and a little humor. Yep, great tune.
6.Did you have a particular artist who inspired you to go in the direction you have taken?
All of them!  It’s not so much an artist as the music itself that is my muse. When I hear a great melody or an amazing groove, I am hooked. Music owns me and I find it irresistible. It just fills every cell of my being with joy!
7: Do want to just add a few things here that may interest lovers of your/our kind of music in the UK?
Oh, gee. Well, I am into a ton of things. I adore animals and would have a hundred if I could! I love to cook and travel. And tennis….love to play  tennis. And I love writing. Writing is a very cool way to find out about yourself. Sometimes the things that come out of my mind are a total surprise to me! I spent much of my youth with horses - riding and hunting and showing. It taught me responsibility, forgiveness and compassion. I am a student of A Course in Miracles and I think that my life is filled with miracles everyday.
8: If you do come to Europe/UK let me know - I’ll be first in line!
Sign me up! I am looking for an agent in the UK and Europe? Any ideas?
Lance, is there a chance that you might review the CD on your site? Thank you so much for all the help and support you give to indie jazz artists, and for your very kind words to me! Hope to meet you in person very soon!
Peace and Pearls,
Erin
May 2011.
Lance.

3 comments :

Liz said...

another example of your encyclopedic music memory and interviewing skills..well done Lance, you bring your subjects to us in many ways, and none better than this.
Liz

Lance said...

Never mind my "interviewing skills" the main person here is Erin who I think is a really fine singer and who deserves wider recognition.
But thanks anyway Liz - I'm flattered.

Liz said...

to be honest Lance, I wasn't familiar with her singing. However I am familiar with your sterling work on this site, hence my praise for you rather than the lady. I shall now make a point of listening to Erin as you are seldom wrong in your judgement!
Liz

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