Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18083 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1047 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Dec. 14), 61.

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

Fri 26: ???

Sat 27: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 27: Leeds City Stompers @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.

Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ 3 Stories, High St. West, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: The Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Jason Holcomb & co.

Mon 29: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 30: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £8.00., £7.00. adv.

Wed 31: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 31: Lil Miss Mary & the Mr Rights Trio @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. ‘Early NYE Bash’. Rockabilly, rhythm & blues.
Wed 31: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. ‘Midnight in Manhattan’ NYE party. £49.46 (inc. bf) & £29.38 (inc. bf).

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, November 08, 2011

Brass Jaw @ The Lit and Phil, Thursday Nov. 3 - take 2.

Paul Towndrow (alto sax), Konrad Wiszniewski (tenor), Allon Beauvoisin (baritone) ; Ryan Quigley (trumpet)
Strange wriggles from the ghosts of book worms,
In a flickering gaslight shadow play,
The theatrical Mr Bream pounds his gavel 
And the curtain rises with a bluesy
Comin' Home Baby feel
Like a Chinese lantern, casting shadows
On the bookcases, seen through the windows 
Of a murder mystery mansion,
Here you'll find FICTION, M-P
And here, FACT, Aardvark-Brass Jaw.

Like voyeurs of this illicit performance, we watch

As they search between the all-hallowed shelves,
Choosing books of alchemy - formulae to transpose
Brass into gold - the trumpet of Ryan Quigley
Hits a high trill with screaming panache,
Trick or treat? Yikes!

This is the first date of their UK tour,
I scribble down notes as fast as they play them,
They're fast alright, such high energy arrangements,
Like Neutrinos defying Einstein's theory of relativity,
Yet much more entertaining than the laws of physics,
As Paul's composition String Theory suggests,This quartet cannot be defied!

They arrange and re-arrange the standards furniture
With a firey Bruce Lee form of Feng Shui:
It Aint Necessarily So, Drive My Car,
Jo Zawinul's Walk Tall and the challenging Zappa composition
Peaches En Regalia, a tough fruit to eat without a juicy squirt!

Their own compositions are also well inspired, arranged
With such wit and wisdom as should be expected in
The library of the Literary & Philosophical Society:
I Like You - Ryan's warm embracing composition
Chimes convincingly like four part bells - he really means it!

Siddhartha - Konrad's only composition on the new album
- is a great philosophical opener Two words in Sanskrit, siddha (achieved) + artha (meaning)

Which together mean
"He who has found the meaning of existence"
Yes, caught dipping into Wikipedia,
But I did read the Hermann Hesse novel once
And this piece really is the journey of a generous spirit

Set 2 defies the laws of Jazz North East raffles
The tickets are in Wes's hat but hark, what haunting
Sound from yonder trumpet balcony breaks?!
Spectral saxes wail a lament from the depths
Of the literary maze - two players stand before us 
While the others, their plaintive calls lost 
In the Geography section!

Allon's Flat Pack Frog hops confidently across a busy road
Dodging the traffic - it's a game of chance,
Can't bear to look, shut your eyes - but it's too late - splat!
The Well Dented Clavicle - no apologies to JSB - gives
Paul the floor with his story of Rugby woe,
The piece plays like adrenalin chasing pain down the nervous
System of a Fly Half with a broken collarbone - or was he a winger!

We all enjoyed Allon's Rochester Rumble which had us late,
Chasing across town to a NY Jazz Festival gig in
A Cathedral - a lilting Latin rhythm gives us an added sense of
Urgency! Get out the way asshole! You're twisting my baritone man!

Of course there had to be an encore - well deserved -
A Brass Jaw arrangement of Georgie Fame's Sunny
To light our way home.

I bought the new album, Branded - I'm listening to it now,
A reminder of another good-humoured, genuinely entertaining
Jazz event at The Lit & Phil, where the crinkled pages
Of a hundred thousand books
Straightened up and flew right!

Photo Link.
George M.

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