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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

17985(and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 306 of them this year alone and, so far, 62 this month (April 26).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.

Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Seaburn. 4:30-6:15pm. Free.
Fri 02: Nauta @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:00pm. £7.50. A ‘Nauta’s House’ gig featuring Nauta & guests Shayo Oshodi & David Gray.
Fri 02: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 02: Dom Pipkin @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Solo piano.
Fri 02: Abbie Finn Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00. + bf.

Sat 03: Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Summer Samba Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 03: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Postmodern Jukebox @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Sat 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:30pm. 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

Thursday, May 10, 2012

L’Entente Chordiale @ The Lit & Phil. May 9.

Tweedle-Dee: Robert Finker (tenor saxophone & clarinet), Alex Bonney
(trumpet & electronics), Fidel Fourneyron (trombone), Kit Downes (keyboards),
Julien Desprez (guitar), Dave Kane (double bass) & Yann Joussein (drums)
Spelk: Chris Sharkey (guitar), Andy Champion (electric bass) & Adrian
Tilbrook (drums).
(Review by Russell).
Recession? What recession? Jazz North East’s latest venture – a two day Anglo French mini festival – went ahead despite the decimation of Arts Council funded activities.
Day one began with an all too rare appearance of Spelk. The trio improvise the memorised, so to speak. An agreed framework is in place and off they go. Guitarist Chris Sharkey works similarly with Trio VD and it is fascinating to hear a piece evolve from a standing start. Bassist Andy Champion plays it electric with this
outfit and puts on his mean ‘n’ moody, in-the-zone face. Pulsating groove after pulsating groove rattled from Champion’s Rickenbacker. Adrian Tilbrook bolts add-ons to his kit when this trio gets together and he made full use of the additional hardware. Sharkey always comes up with something different and this performance was no exception; constantly seeking a new sound, a riff, hammered patterns, pedals on and off. In full
flight – and at times they were up there flying with the albatross – Spelk is one exhilarating experience.
Members of the Coax and Loop Collectives joined forces to form the septet Tweedle-Dee. Musicians from the Paris based Coax Collective played a gig with their London counterparts (Loop Collective) at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and made the journey north to do it all again at the Lit & Phil Library in Newcastle. As the band prepared to go on stage other Coax members were being met at Newcastle International Airport (their participation will occur on day two of the event).
Thanks to Jazz North East’s international links most of the musicians in Tweedle-Dee were no strangers to Tyneside. Pianist Kit Downes had performed in the room with his quintet a matter of a few weeks earlier and on this festival appearance he worked with Robert Fincker (reeds), bassist Dave Kane and Alex Bonney
(trumpet) together with their French cohorts Fidel Fourneyron (trombone), Yann Joussein (drums) and Julien Desprez (guitar). Last year guitarist Desprez appeared with Q at Gateshead’s Central Bar and the band made such an impression that his return was an eagerly awaited occasion. This second visit saw him play much more guitar.
The band deployed subtle electronic interventions to produce wonderful tonal colours across the horns surfing the hypnotic wave-effect created by bassist Dave Kane and the super-cool Yann Joussein (drums). Desprez rarely cut loose (in keeping with the collective restraint shown by all) and ‘bone man Fourneyron’s occasional Valente-like blasts were similarly restrained (‘Valente’ and ‘restrained’ - an oxymoron?). So, the music on day one was of the highest order. Day two promises more of the same. Three highlights are likely to be generated by the men behind the drum kit. If ACV play Without Bones then take it from me that Adrian Tilbrook’s drumming will set the bar at Olympian heights. Yann Joussein could well match him (he plays a solo set) and Sylvain Darrifourcq (Q’s master percussionist) could well snatch the gold medal.
Russell

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