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

18799 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 663 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 12) 32.

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

Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: John Settle Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. John Settle (vibes); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 14: Bold Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £8.00 + bf.

Sat 15: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 15: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £16.26.

Sun 16: Vintage Explosion @ Cliffe Park, Roker, Sunderland SR6 8DB. 5:00-10:30pm. £44.00 (inc. bf).

Mon 17: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 20: Edson Angus Quartet @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 20: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

CD Review - Sergio Mendes - Warner's Original Album Series.

Another of Warner's highly acclaimed Original Album Series - this time it's 5 albums in one package from Brazilian pianist Sergio Mendes.
The Swinger From Rio/ In Person at El Matador!/The Great Arrival/The Best of Brazil/Sergio Mendes' Favourite Things.
Difficult to know what to write about these. They're so brilliantly done, so tasteful, so well played and arranged - perfect is the word that came to mind and yet...
...Imagine someone gives you a box of chocolates and you pick one out and it's a coffee cream. Yummy! So you have another and it too is a coffee cream and so it goes on - they're all coffee creams. By the end of the box you never want to taste another coffee cream ever!
In other words, these are albums to dip into, play at a party or at a corporate as background music (muzak?) that won't offend or intrude and, if you hit lucky, as eine klein nachtmusik!
Don't blame it on the Bossa Nova and there are redeeming features in the form of Hubert Laws (flute), Phil Woods (alto), Art Farmer (flugel) who lift things to beyond the bland...
Lance.
Released November 21, 2011.

1 comment :

Liz said...

reading about Sergio Mendes brings to mind the time I went to see Frank Sinatra at the Royal Albert Hall. We were all seated, excitement in the air, an absolutly electric atmosphere...Sergio was on first, giving us a taste of his particular style of music, but oh dear...all we wanted was Frank..and I am ashamed to say that poor Sergio was never really appreciated that night!
Liz

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