Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Splinter @ The Seaside - The Trojan Rooms, Whitley Bay. July 3rd - Part 3: Ex Extreme.

Ex Extreme: Stuart Collingwood (piano), Pete Tanton (flugelhorn), Mark Williams (guitar), Stuart Davies (electric bass) & Steve Wall (drums).
David Carnegie's departure cast doubt on the future of Extreme Measures. How to replace him? Why continue? Well, the alumni assembled in the Trojan Rooms with new recruit Steve Wall to give it a go as Ex Extreme.
Opening with Stuart Collingwood's familiar piece Nautical (how apt...nautical, seaside and all). Pete Tanton wrote Barbados by way of bon voyage (the nautical theme continued) to Davd Carnegie - nice one Pete. Stuart Davies, the one surviving original member from Carnegie's band brought Double Bubble to the party and it wasn't any toil or trouble to these guys. It was a jazz funk workout, energetic, fun and for guitarist Mark Williams (another one on double time) this was a case of cut loose, hang on, get out of the way, phew!!!
Collingwood's Bananas was right up Steve Wall's street. This was loud jazz fusion territory and to the drummer's credit he was himself, not in any way trying to be a clone of David Carnegie. At times the volume levels made it difficult to hear Tanton's oh so lyrical lines. Tanton deserves to be heard!
I get the impression that pianist Stuart Collingwood has a whole book of tunes he's written over the years. One of them - The Tank - from way back (1981) was a high point. It had a Blakey's Messengersfeel to it and if he's got more like this then lets hear them! A cracking set from an evolving, cracking band.
Russell.

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