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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

Friday, June 15, 2012

World Service Project & Alfie Ryner @ Star & Shadow Cinema. June 14

World Service Project: Dave Morecroft (keyboards), Raphael Clarkson (trombone), Tim Ower (alto & tenor saxophones), Conor Chaplin (electric bass) & Neil Blandford (drums)
Alfie Ryner: Paco Serrano (alto & tenor saxophones, vocals), Guillaume Pique (trombone & vocals), Gerard Gimenez (guitar), Guillaume Gendre (double bass) & Loris Pertoldi (drums)

(Review by Russell).
Dave Morecroft’s World Service Project made a third visit to Newcastle and this Jazz North East promotion was the second Match & Fuse project to be heard at the Star and Shadow Cinema. Morecroft’s ongoing mission is to invite a band from Europe to play a series of double-bill gigs in Britain and secure a reciprocal tour; on this occasion the invitees – Alfie Ryner is/are a quintet of seemingly disparate musicians - travelled from Toulouse, France. Morecroft’s five piece took to the stage first and much of the music performed can be heard on Match and Fuse CDs numbers 3 and 4 and the current release (check-out Wes’ recent review on Bebop Spoken Here). WSP played it loud and rocked it. Raphael Clarkson’s big trombone sound impressed once again and front line partner Tim Ower (saxophones) played with self-assurance, so too bassist Conor Chaplin. Manic Morecroft stoked it up showering burning embers over Neil Blandford’s granite rhythms. Solos were short and few and far between, collective riffs caught the ear and won keen applause from an appreciative crowd.


French quintet Alfie Ryner (Morecroft dubbed them ‘Alfie Ryan Air’) emerged from back stage in suits (more rude boy than zoot ) and resembled a motley crew of musos – and they were, musos, that is - sporting earrings and other piercings that would have had Gene Hackman on his guard down in Marseille. Paco Serrano wore the look of a slightly deranged smiling assassin (think The French Connection or Goodfellas) yet turned out to be a big pussycat. Serrano’s vocals, in French of course, were largely inaudible due to the volume levels of the amplified band. No matter, whatever it was he told us, he meant it. He blew some alto, Guillaume Pique played some plungered trombone and Gerard Gimenez’s Fender featured heavily - effects and all. The material was Gallic and varied (a tango worked well) and the drum and bass team of Loris Pertoldi (drums) and Guillaume Gendre worked tirelessly. Gendre was, ostensibly, the ‘jazz’ player in the line-up, yet, surely, all could turn their hand to straight ahead material. The now familiar Match & Fuse finale united the two bands - British and French musicians on stage together – to play two numbers. The first, led by Morecroft, reworked Sweet Time, a tune written by Matt Jacobsen (drummer with Irish band ReDiViDer and former collaborator with WSP). The Toulouse troupe read their parts with smiles all round. The closing number - an ‘instant composition’ or as Serrano would have it a ‘sound painting’ – took the honours by a mile or should that be a kilometre? The big pussycat leapt down from the stage to the floor of the auditorium to conduct the piece. No baton just innumerable hand signals. This time the Brits had to concentrate. The legendary George Russell had an idiosyncratic style directing his big band, similarly Chris Sharkey’s commands with Jambone are somewhat unique. The committed Serrano (perhaps he should be) worked-up a sweat and boy, he had the double quintet in a sweat. Some how he pulled it off.
Russell

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