Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 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

18069 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 390 of them this year alone and, so far, 68 this month (May 222).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:15pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bywell Hall, Stocksfield. 1:30pm. Northumberland County Show.
Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm.
Sat 24: Dean Stockdale Quartet + Mingus Sings @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Stockdale (piano); Tim Williams (guitar); Gavin Barras (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums) + Mingus Sings: Sara Oschlag (vocals); Alan Barnes (reeds); Tim Lapthorn (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); Clark Tracey (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sat 24: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 24: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sat 24: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 24: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 25: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Spanish City Plaza (outdoor stage). 11:30am & 1:00pm. Free. A Whitley Bay Carnival event.
Sun 25: Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion: Bandstand Sessions @ The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free. A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 1:30pm. Free.
Sun 25: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Catriona Bourne Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Bourne (harp), Francis Tulip (guitar), James Owston (double bass), Joe Bainbridge (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Struggle Buggy @ The Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 25: Joe Steels Group + Norma Winstone (vocals); Nikki Iles (piano); Mike Walker (guitar); Steve Watts (double bass). 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Steels (guitar); Ferg Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Susans (double bass); John Hirst (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 25: Xhosa Cole/Neil Charles/Mark Sanders @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A JNE promotion. Note: Xhosa Cole replaces Nicole Mitchell.

Mon 26: Catriona Bourne Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 26: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 27: Bold Big Band @ Newcastle Arts Centre, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £12.00. & £10.00.
Tue 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Front St., Rothbury NE65 7UT.7:30pm. £12.00.; £10.00. adv. from Tully’s (opp. venue).

Wed 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 28: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 28: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 29: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: That’s the Blues, Dad.
Thu 29: Nova.sol + Mikoudi @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 29: Front Porch Three @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Americana, blues etc.

p>Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 30: Rivkala @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 30: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Middleton & Tonbridge Village Hall. 7:30pm.

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

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.
at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive