Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Hey Remember This @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 14: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Philip Larkin’s Jazz Experiment.
Thu 14: Jerron Paxton @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb country blues.
Thu 14: Solcade @ the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. 7:00pm. EP launch. Rivkala & co..
Thu 14: Jacob Egglestone @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums) & guests.
Thu 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: 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 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

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.

No comments :

Blog Archive