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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Hannabiell and Midnight Blue @ Hoochie Coochie

Hannabiell Sanders Tyler (Tmb/perc.vcl); Yilis Suriel (perc); Graham Hardy (tpt/flg); Stu Collingwood (keys); David Mabutt (bs); George McGrath? (dms); Mark Barfoot (perc); ? (vcl)..
(Review by Lance).
Hannabiell sells excitement by the djembefull and the customers buy it with enthusiastic applause. The routine, as always, begins with the bubbly Afro/American/Adopted Geordie pounding away on the djembe creating the most complex and compelling, frenzied, rhythmic, patterns then, just as we think the ultimate has been reached, on comes Suriel to increase the tension! 
OMG! this is unbearable!
One by one the others augment the duo until all 7 are collectively contributing to the marvellous musical mayhem.
The adrenalin, like the music, goes round and round and you hope there are some first aiders on standby as this is but a few beats away from a heart attack! What a way to go! This is better than sex (well almost).
The dance floor fills up and soon the bodies are gyrating in front of the stand. Trombone replaces djembe and whoosh! we're off on another trip - down the Mississippi, up the Zambezi River   flying beyond the moon (it's not high enough) and off on a journey into space. Graham Hardy goes along as co-pilot his clean sound complementing Hannabiell's streetwise trombone.
Stu Collingwood, still in the groove from Thursday at the Corner House, provides the premium grade fuel for the accelerando and the  guys on bass, drums and percussion, along with Yilis, put the boot in.
Somewhere along the way a lovely lady pitches in with a vocal and this is as good as it gets - or is it?
With this band you never know where it will end!
Photos.
Lance.
(CD review to follow).

No comments :

Blog Archive