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

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).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Monday, July 09, 2012

CD Review: Joe Jackson - Duke.

(Review by Lance).
Described as an unconventional salute to Ellington it is certainly that! Nevertheless, it isn't an album to dismiss out of hand irrespective of whether you're in the "Duke who?" camp or the "Was he a DJ who had a cat called Tiddles?" care home. 
This is an intriguing album featuring a host of contemporary rock/pop/jazz musicians discovering the greatest jazz composer of them all.
Isfahan, incredibly, has guitarist Stevie Vai somehow creating the feel of Johnny Hodges - not totally but enough to let us know where he's coming from.
Caravan features Iranian singer Sussan Deyhim in a soaring Farsi vocal over an almost disco rhythm - it works! Is this the setting the itinerant tune has been looking for?
Joe Jackson steps up to the mic along with Christian McBride on bass and violinist Regina Carter for I'm Beginning To See The Light which includes an instrumental interlude - A Train and Cottontail.
Jackson and Carter stay aboard for Mood Indigo along with the strangely named drummer - Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson. This latter guy is also on Rockin' in Rhythm and I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues/Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me with Jackson and R & B diva Sharon Jones delivering soulful vocals. Jackson also works out on I Got It Bad with Sue Hadjopoulos. Perdido sees Lilian Vieira singing the Juan Tizol tune in Portuguese. The Mooche and Black and Tan Fantasy are "enhanced" by tremolo and wah wah effects capturing the feel of Tricky Sam and Bubber with Regina Carter playing Nance-like violin.
The final track, It Don't Mean a Thing, has Jackson sharing the vocal load with Iggy Pop.
It's a strange disc that shouldn't be dismissed out of hand on first listening as I almost did! Believe you me it grows on you. Just discard your pre-conceived idea of Ellingtonia and view it as something new and fresh.
Ellington may be turning in his grave but, if he is, it's to hear it better and I suspect he would "Love it Madly" - at least for the royalties!.
Lance.
Joe Jackson - The Duke released by earMUSIC on July 23 - CD and 12" Vinyl.
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