Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

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

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

CD Review: Hannabiell and Midnight Blue. With Us.

After their recent gig at Hoochie Coochie I intended to review Hannabiell and  Midnight Blue's superb CD With Us but, after reading Ann's review of the disc written after the CD launch party, it occurred to me that no way could I improve upon this so instead I've re-posted her original review.
Lance.
Hannabiell Sanders ("Tyler" the bass trombone, percussion,mbira, vocal); Yilis Suriel (djembe, mbira, percussion); John Pope (bass); George Magrath (drums); Nate Shaw (keyboard); Mark Edwards (vibraphone); Helen Papaioannou (saxophone); Nuala Kennedy (vocal, penny whistle); Thuli Mazwi (vocal); Ali Gillies (Nintendo DS Sampler).
(Review by Ann Alex)
1: King? Opens with "Tyler" blowing a strong riff with New Orleans influences, samba grooves and lots of jazzy improvisation.  Includes brass, bass, drums, keyboard, vibraphone.
2: Ndlovkazi (The Female Elephant). Very different, a celebration of femaleness, a very ethnic sound with keyboard, mbira, vibraphone, drums and others, African singing, clapping, speech.
3:Triple It: This track lasts 3.13 minutes (get it?) and the music comes in threes, with accompaniment from percussion and vuvuzela only.  Very catchy.
4:Tyler's Line. Featuring bass trombone playing a hesitant riff, kit, cow bell and others, speeding up to a climax, a very jazzy track.
5: Protest Culture. This sounds like a protest march with clacking percussion and whistles, a low drum, mostly a rhythmic piece plus melodic snatches of trombone.
6: With Us. The title track features the sweet voices of Thuli Mazwi and Nuala Kennedy singing such words as ‘Peace be with us now’ to a Caribbean style of accompaniment, provided by bass, drums, vibraphone and others.
7Squid. This track is effective but somewhat disturbing, featuring the words of Martin Luther King played over a drone, with garbled words and distortion.  It is dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake.
The CD is good value, with an average track length of 5 minutes, and an ideal memento of seeing this band live.  Catch them and the CD somewhere soon!  
Ann Alex.

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