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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17733 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 53 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Jan. 20).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 22: Pasadena Roof Orchestra @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.

Thu 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free. Fortnightly.
Thu 23: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Obituaries 2024.
Thu 23: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:30-6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Thu 23: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 24: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Lindisfarne Social Club, Wallsend. 9:00pm. Admission: TBC. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.

Sat 25: Boys of Brass @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 25: New '58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson's Wharf, Hartlepool. 6:30pm (doors). Free. A Burns' Night event. Jazz, swing, funk, soul, blues etc.
Sat 25: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Parish Hall, St Barnabas’ Church, Rowlands Gill. 7:30pm. £10.00. BYOB (tea & coffee available), raffle. Proceeds to St Barnabas’ Church. Performance feat. Shayo (vocals).
Sat 25: Jack & Jay’s Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Graham Hardy Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 26: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:30pm. Free.
Sun 26: Gratkowski, Tramontana, Beresford, Affifi @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

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

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Jazz Esquires @ Porthole - Nowt as funny as folk!

Miles Watson (tpt/vcl/dms); Terry Dalton (tmb); Andy Lee (alt); Tony Winder (ten/sop/fl/clt); Roy Gibson (keys); Robin Douthwaite (gtr); Stan Nicholson (bs); Laurie Brown (dms/vcl/clt).
When enquiring if today's session was on - many have fallen by the wayside owing to the holiday season etc.- Miles assured me that the show would go on comparing it to The Windmill who didn't close during The Blitz. Of course the famous London Theatre had only The Luftwaffe to contend with. The Porthole was faced with an invasion of Folk Musicians and their camp followers who arrived armed with penny whistles, guitars, fiddles, mandolines, bodhrans, banjos, accordions, melodions and a few other weapons of mass destruction. I gave them a listen and I wasn't sure if they played a 100 choruses of 3 tunes or 3 choruses of a 100 tunes.
Scurrying back to the "Jazz Room" One O'Clock Jump marshalled Dad's Army a.k.a. the Jazz Esquires into a rearguard action and, by the time Laurie Brown had taken the final drum break we knew the invaders had been repelled and contained in the bar.
Miles chantez C'est Magnifique and blew trumpet like Buck (this damn keypad!). Tuxedo Junction, In a Mellowtone and a storming Tiger Rag were a few other memorable moments.
Andy blew nice pre-Parker alto, Tony had moments on tenor and Terry scored on trombone. It's a good band that straddles the line just north of Dixie thanks to some good arrangements. Teresa (pictured) belied her venerable years with a spritely I'm Confessin' and an evocative Sway.
Meanwhile, at the far end, the tune continued as fiddlers fell and were replaced seems like the whole world and their instruments were fighting to be in.
The Esquires just laid back and blew - Laurie even had a go at Moonglow on clarinet with Miles on drums.
If our Ann Alex had been here she'd have been worn out dashing from one room to the other!
Photos.
 Lance.
PS: For Ann (see comments) some Penny Whistle Jazz.

2 comments :

Ann Alexander said...

Do readers realise that you can play jazz on a penny whistle, which is usually classed as a folk instrument? I can play 'Them There Eyes'. Mind, I'm not saying it's good, and I'm not quite ready to start my own band yet!
Ann Alex

Anonymous said...

I was in the Porthole Pub last week and I really
enjoyed the Jazz Esquires.
All good players and soloists.
The bass player was excellent but was not given any credit or solo's! (Yes I am a Bass Player)
One other thing was the trumpet player was very bad at starting and sometimes tried for high notes he couldn't reach. Apart from that excellent entertainment!!!

Tom Hunter

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