Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (DownBeat May, 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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

May

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Hey Remember This @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 14: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Philip Larkin’s Jazz Experiment.
Thu 14: Jerron Paxton @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb country blues.
Thu 14: Solcade @ the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. 7:00pm. EP launch. Rivkala & co..
Thu 14: Jacob Egglestone @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums) & guests.
Thu 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Friday, June 03, 2011

CD Review: Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody - Al Di Meola

Al Di Meola (gtrs, perc, keys); Fausto Bercallossi (acc); Kevin Seddiki (2nd gtr); Gumbi Ortiz (perc); Peter Kaszas (perc, kit); Victor Miranda (upright acc baby bass.)
Guests: Charlie Haden (bs); Peter Erskine (dms);Gonzalo Rubalcaba (pno); Barry Miles (string arrangements, keys); Mino Cinelu (perc).
Sturcz String Quartet.
A glimpse at the title and I groaned - more pretentious crap!
How wrong can you be?
The World Sinfonia Band, as the name implies, is a divers mix of many elements. Flamenco, tango, cajun, folk, rock, gypsy yet the jazz feeling is never far away underwriting the many modes with a rhythmic intensity and demonstrated by guitarist Di Meola's virtuosic improvisations. From the opening bars of Siberiana on to that track's turbulant finale I was hooked. The many mood swings of the album kept my attention throughout. Apart from Di Meola who shines through on both acoustic and electric guitars there is some fine 'left bank' accordion playing from Bercallossi. Most of the pieces are Di Meola originals. Full Frontal Contrapuntal has some chops-busting unisons and intricate exchanges between Di Meola's MIDI-tinged acoustic and Bercallossi's accordion. Bona, with the Sturcz String Quartet is sumptuous, relaxed and lyrical The two non-originals, Strawberry Fields and Over The Rainbow, bring in the 'liberated' Charlie Haden. Despite the former being an unlikely jazz vehicle and the latter one of those 'do I really need another version?' tunes they both work - each with a lovely, melodic, late night feel to Di Meola's interpretation. Truly compelling stuff. I'd say catch them where you can but, as the only UK date of their European tour - sandwiched between gigs in Beirut and Vienna - is at Union Chapel, London it might involve a little travelling! Lance. Al Di Meola World Sinfonia Band PURSUIT of RADICAL RHAPSODY - a Telarc recording.
at

1 comment :

Jazz Album said...

I know that this album is a true beauty. The combination of different genres of music on this album will have many happy listeners. Plus you have the guitar improvisations. Brilliant.

Saturday, June 04, 2011 3:02:00 am

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive