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

18548 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 412 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 19) 66

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

May

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 27: Neighbourhood Watch + Rivkala @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £5.00. Rivkala (solo).

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Miles Davis & His Favourite Musicians.
Thu 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 28: Bobby Rush @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £25.00. + bf. Veteran USA bluesman.
Thu 28: Squabble @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 28: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.

Sat 30: Giles Strong Quartet @ Langley Tracks, Langley on Tyne NE47 5LA. 5:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £1.50 bf.

Sun 31: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 31: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 31: Sinfonia of London: Tea Dance @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 3:00pm. Free. John Wilson ensemble performing on the concourse. Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George & Ira Gershwin & more.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76.
Sun 31: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 31: Ben Haskins Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00.

June

Mon 01: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 01: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Mon 01: CW Stoneking @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Blues, Americana.

Tue 02: Mark Williams Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00.
Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.
Tue 02: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Jazz North East Newsletter.

(By Dave Clark).No less than three concerts this week, presenting Jazz North East wearing two of its most varied hats. Also a special price deal - see the very end of this newsletter. Two of the concerts have appeared in a previous newsletter and the third is a newcomer. It seems fair to begin with the newcomer even though the other two pre-date it :

8.00PM SUNDAY 13TH MAY
FUSIONHEAD
Roz Sluman (sax & vocals); Nick Rimmer (keyboards); Alex Green (bass & vocals); Kenny Reed (drums)
Carlisle-based Fusionhead pride themselves on tight arrangements and creative improvisations over groove-based jazz in a variety of styles-funk, soul, blues and rock. Their material includes home-grown originals and classics from Miles to Sting - music to let your hair down to, if you're still fortunate enough to have any, and get funky.
Leader Roz Sluman has played with legends of the soul-jazz genre such as James Brown reedsman Pee Wee Ellis so she knows her way round that genre. But her influences - she names Paul Desmond, Cannonball Adderley, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers- are clear evidence that her style also embodies both cool melodic playing and hard bop.
The gritty vocals of bassist Alex Green are a second strong blues element to the band while Nick Rimmer, keyboards, and Kenny Reed,drums, respectively provide textural variation and subtle colouration.
This gig is in an upstairs room inaccessible to wheelchair-users.
BRIDGE HOTEL, CASTLE GARTH, NEWCASTLE NE1 1RQ
Admission £5.00 - only at the door.
------
L'Entente Chordiale - Wednesday May 9. 7:30pm.
SPELK
Chris Sharkey (guitar); Andy Champion(bass); Adrian Tilbrook (drums)
+ TWEEDLE DEE
Robin Fincker (tenor sax & clarinet); Alex Bonney (trumpet); Fidel Fourneyron (trombone & tuba); Julian Desprez (guitar); Kit Downes (organ); Dave Kane(bass); Yann Joussein (drums)
The first of two nights of an Anglo French Festival (L'Entente Chordiale) which can be described as genuinely unique. Cheltenham Jazz Festival beat us to it by commissioning a performance from Tweedle Dee, the septet of leading young players from Paris and London who are at the core of our festival. But that was to be that. Tweedle Dee didn't envisage a second performance until Jazz North East persuaded them to contribute to our growing relationship with our Gallic cousins and extend their life by a day. Our festival's uniqueness doesn't stop with Tweedle Dee though. We added to them one French trio and a solo musician (Day Two) and, in an effort to forge links and create possible future collaborations, added two Tyneside bands consisting of some of the region's most adventurous musicians.
The festival kicks off tonight with a double bill of freeform jazz-rockers Spelk, who played a ferociously energetic set at the recent Gateshead International Jazz Festival, and Tweedle Dee, whose starry line-up includes keyboards maestro Kit Downes (whose own quintet played a great gig at the Lit & Phil a few weeks ago.)
----- 
L'Entente Chordiale Thursday May 10. 7:30pm.
ACV
Graeme Wilson(saxes); Mark Williams (guitar); Paul Edis (piano); Andy Champion (bass); Adrian Tilbrook (drums)
+YANN YOSSEIN
Yann Yossein (percussion & electronics)
+Q
Julien Desprez (guitar); Fanny Lasfargues (electric bass); Sylvain Darrifourcq (drums)
Day 2 begins around 2pm in the afternoon with an open invitation to local players to drop in, free of charge, to meet our guests and swap musical ideas.
The evening concert is in three parts, beginning with a set by Andy Champion's ACV - original music, excellently played - continuing with a percussion and electronics performance by French drummer Yann Yossein and climaxing with a return visit from the experimental jazz- rock trio Q.
NEWCASTLE LITERARY & PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY, 23 WESTGATE ROAD, NEWCASTLE NE1 1SE
ADMISSION £20.00 & £16.00 CONC. FOR TWO NIGHTS;£12.00 & £10.00 CONC. FOR ONE NIGHT.
Tickets can be reserved from the venue Tel. 0191 232 0192 and bought at the door.
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jazznortheast
Details of all our events on our website at www.jazznortheast.com.
Dave C.

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