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

18818 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 682 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 20) 51.

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

August

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 27: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 27: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Stranton, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 28: Graham Hardy Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 29: Brian Jackson @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:30pm (doors). £32.00.

Sun 30: Musicians Unlimited @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Tango Jazz Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

September.

Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Brass Jaw and Jambone @ The Sage.

Brass Jaw:Ryan Quigley (tpt), Paul Towndrow (alt), Konrad Wisniewski (ten) and Allan Beauvoisin (bar).
Jambone: 5 saxes, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, Colm Rooney (pno), Ivan Scutt (bs), Bradley Johnston (gtr), (drums).
Brass Jaw opened up to an audience comprising, in the main, friends and relations of Jambone! Where was the jazz fraternity who, with a couple of notable exceptions, were missing? This was incredible! Brass Jaw are unique mixing, as they do, free collective improvisation, solos and arranged passages to amazing effect.
At times when the four musicians were wailing away in a fugue-like.manner I couldn't but help thinking that J.S.Bach would have loved the contrapuntal lines they were putting down. This wasn't Bach Goes To Town a la Alec Templeman - this was Bach going down to the Bigg Market on a Saturday night bender!
Quigley is an amazing trumpet player and it was no surprise when "Big Band" Tony told me that Ryan was doing a Maynard Ferguson tribute at Wigan Jazz Festival. Paul Towndrow plays wonderful modern alto, likewise Konrad on tenor but the cigar goes to Beauvoisin for pumping the baritone so effectively.
Brass Jaw are appearing at the Durham Brass Festival on July 16/17 - so you've got another couple of chances to catch them.
Unfortunately you won't have any further opportunities to hear this edition of Jambone - The Sage's brilliant youth jazz orchestra.
A lot of the players are moving on to Uni at such exotic seats of learning as Leeds, Huddersfield and points south.
They went out with a bang!.
I'm not going to quote names as the only ones I know are Bradley Johnston (gtr). Ivan Scutt (bs) and Colm Rooney (pno); but even if I did (and I'm hoping someone will send me the line-up) it would be unfair to single anyone out. When they hit the ground running on It Don't Mean a Thing I relaxed and said that this band could gig anywhere - Ronnie Scott's would be a good place to start!
The two bands had been working together and at the end of each set they merged. This was good and the youth band had no problem carrying the ball. It was a brill night but come on folks surely you weren't all at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival?.
Lance.
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