Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18656 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 520 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 25) 72

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

June

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 30: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

July

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ 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: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 02: De’Sean Jones & Blaque Dynamite feat. Urban Art Orchestra @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). De’Sean Jones (MD, tenor sax); Blaque Dynamite (Mike Mitchell, drums); Jamie Murray (drums) with UAO horns & strings.
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Thu 02: Howlin’ Mat @ Newcastle Arts centre. 7:30pm. Free. Acoustic

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Paul Donnelly Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: Martin Taylor @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Taylor (solo guitar).

Sat 04: Spats Langham’s Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:00-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Take the ‘A’ Train to Summertime: From Melody to Masterclass. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Kevin Eland (trumpet).
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Strictly Smokin' Big Band @ Hoochie Coochie

Jamie Toms, Matthew Forster (alt); Paul Gowland, James Trippett (ten); Laurie Rangecroft (bar); Gordon Marshall', Michael Lamb, Joe Taylor, Tom Hill (tpt); Mark Ferris,  Alex Leathard, Don Fairley, Mr John Flood (tmb); Chris Finch (pno); Pawel (Pav) Jedrzejewski (gtr); Michael Whent (gtr); Guy Swinton (dms); Steph Adams, James Hedley (vcl). + Daniel Johnson (gtr) on Diggin' on James Brown.
The beauty of Hoochie Coochie's Thursday night sessions is the infinite variety offered week by week. Tonight saw the début of the Strictly Smokin' boys (and girl) who lifted the roof off with a timely and varied selection of big band numbers. Not ground-breaking stuff by any means but tried and tested scores that showed both soloists and sections off to advantage.
Steph Adams got the show on the road with a Nelson Riddle-like arrangement of I've Got You Under My Skin. She sounded a little nervous on this one - a feeling that vanished as the night went on.
The band scorched some earth on Hay Burner, Thad Jones' Big Dipper and the perennial arrangement of Love For Sale. Solos from Leader Lamb, Paul Gowland, Joe Taylor, Jamie Toms and Chris Finch (who has been known to contribute to these pages) kept the pot boiling.
Steph returned for a rousing Straighten Up and Fly Right - no hesitancy on this one - the girl had done what the title implied and was soaring. Gordon Marshall was up there with her.
Lamb featured himself on Summertime soloing with a delicately muted, economical selection of notes.
Avenue C took the Basie classic on a whirlwind ride before Steph returned for Orange Coloured Sky. I've loved this number since I first heard it by Nat Cole and the girl and the band did it justice.
"Boy" singer James Hedley did The Mood I'm In - a nice jazz waltz - and Bublé's It's A New Day.
These were but a few of the highlights - to list them all would take ten pages! Diggin' on James Brown had some funky guitar from Daniel Johnson. Easy Street was cool and relaxed with a nice piano intro from Chris,
I Won't Dance had the vocalists duetting as they had at GIJF whilst Moanin' with some high note work from Hill - not Mick but his grandson Tom - solos from Gowland (outstanding all evening), Lamb, Chris and Pav hit the right groove.
My apologies for not mentioning everyone - the altos and second tenor had some good blasts as did the trombones and the packed Hoochie crowd loved it.
Nice one.
Lance.
Learn more about the band at www.strictly-smokin.co.uk. 
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