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

18336 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 190 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 28), 90

From This Moment On ...

March

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Trumpet quartet @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free. Quartet inc. Dick Stacey (SSBB). Programme inc. Basie’s Panassié Stomp + Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho.
Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Celebrate - Commonwealth Day.
Thu 05: Flo/ra + Maya Kally @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £16.45., £13.28., £12.22., £9:04.
Thu 05: Salty Dog @ @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 06: EXHIBITION: Images of Jazz @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. Visual artist Dave Barden exhibiting works in Gallery Two (10:00am-4:00pm Mon to Sat, closing May 30).
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Market Place, Blyth NE24 1BQ. 5:00pm, 6:00pm & 7:30pm. Free. A ‘Festival of Energy’ event.
Fri 06: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 06: Brass Funkeys + support @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Fri 06: Vintage Explosion @ Whitley Bay Playhouse. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 06: Flat Moon + Spilt Milk @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.
Fri 06: Giles Strong Quartet @ Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:45pm (7:00pm doors). £16.50.
Fri 06: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. Musicians Unlimited (in concert). £10.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 1/3.

Sat 07: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 12 noon. Open Section (all day, closing concert performance at 7:00pm). £15.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 2/3.
Sat 07: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Antônio Carlos Jobim: Meditation & How Insensitive. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free. Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St Mary’s Parish Hall, Barnard Castle. 7:00pm. £20.00., £8.00 under 16. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 07: Taupe + Marigolds + Mother Man @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 9:30am. School Section & Youth Section (all day). £10.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 3/3.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: TRIO-SKW @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Josh Savage (drums); Lucas Kelly (organ); Tim ‘Bim’ Williams (guitar).
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Trish Clowes’ My Iris @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 08: Durham University Big Band & Foot Notes @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. £10.00., £8.00., £6.00. Big band & a cappella ensemble.

Mon 09: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

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

Friday, November 11, 2011

Louise Gibbs and Five Pieces of Silver @ Musicon Durham Jazz Festival

Louise Gibbs (vcl); James Lancaster (tpt); John McKillup (ten); Zezo Olimpio (pno); Paul Baxter (bs); Paul Smith (dms).
The centerpiece of the Second Musicon Durham Jazz Festival - sandwiched in between John Taylor, last night, and Omar Puente, tomorrow - was this tribute to Horace Silver whose quintets gave birth to the Jazz Messengers back in the 1950s. This was about as tasty a filling as you'll find in any Jazz Sandwich! Two horns swinging like Blue Mitchell and Junior Cook and a rhythm section that could have been the Blue Note House Band made this a night to remember.
Oh yes! and there was also a singer...
Think Anita O'Day, Annie Ross, and you get an idea where Louise Gibbs is at although, having said that, she's very much her own gal. Soaring high, pitching perfectly, scatting, this was one of those evenings that gelled.
Sister Sadie, Tokyo Blues, Soulville, Song For My Father, Cool Eyes - the voice/bass duo intro was something else! - The Jody Grind (tenor and voice were blistering on this one).
Horace-scope. I loved everything but Horace-scope stood out! A great theme sung vocalese in unison with the horns. It reminded me of those wonderful sides by Charlie Ventura's Bop For The People Band with Roy Kral and Jackie Cain.
Senor Blues, Peace, Nica's Dream and a slightly hokey version of The Preacher showed us the way to go home!.
As a matter of interest, Louise is from New Zealand, pianist Olimpio hails from Brazil, drummer Smith (not 'wor' Paul Smith) is from Leeds, paradoxically, trumpet ace Lancaster is from York and Baxter Bass is currently keeping mean time in Greenwich whilst tenorman McKillup hails from Prudhoe. I wonder if he began his musical life in the Prudhoe School Band that performs regularly at big band festivals?
To make the evening complete, Russell, Tony and I got to chat with Louise.
Lance.
PS:Thank you Sandi Russell for making this festival happen.
PPS: An interesting sideshow occurred during the concert when someone, performing an act of nature in the upstairs toilet, omitted to pull down the blind...

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