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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17733 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 53 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Jan. 20).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 22: Pasadena Roof Orchestra @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.

Thu 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free. Fortnightly.
Thu 23: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Obituaries 2024.
Thu 23: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:30-6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Thu 23: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 24: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Lindisfarne Social Club, Wallsend. 9:00pm. Admission: TBC. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.

Sat 25: Boys of Brass @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 25: New '58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson's Wharf, Hartlepool. 6:30pm (doors). Free. A Burns' Night event. Jazz, swing, funk, soul, blues etc.
Sat 25: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Parish Hall, St Barnabas’ Church, Rowlands Gill. 7:30pm. £10.00. BYOB (tea & coffee available), raffle. Proceeds to St Barnabas’ Church. Performance feat. Shayo (vocals).
Sat 25: Jack & Jay’s Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Graham Hardy Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 26: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:30pm. Free.
Sun 26: Gratkowski, Tramontana, Beresford, Affifi @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

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, July 20, 2012

Pete Molinari, The Sage Summertyne Americana Festival

Pete Molinari (vocals, acoustic guitar, mouth organ)
I hope I have this artist’s name correct.  I missed the first song because I lingered too long, drinking the excellent wine at the Press Reception.  I entered to find a lone figure on stage, singing love songs in a high, haunting voice, accompanying himself with a gentle guitar sound and a rather Dylanesque mouth organ on some of the songs.  The support act is a difficult role to fulfil, as most of the audience are just waiting for the real action to begin.  This musician entertained us as well as he could with what I assume were his own songs, one about ‘Helene’; another stating ‘farewell to you my love’.  The singing and playing were competent and pleasant to listen to, but the lyrics were somewhat clunky, with some hackneyed phrases.  I guess this performer will develop further, with more experience.
Ann Alex  

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding mate? Develope further? I don't know which show you were at but Pete Molinari as support act to that main act was wrongly billed.
Perhaps do some more research and don't show your ingnorance.
Love songs usually are about a Girls name or saying farewell to someone. Not think that?
Also its always so lame when a write of any level can only mention a name from Popular Culture and liken them to it. Sounds like very lazy Journalism to me...to say the least.
Guess you don't know that Bob Dylans first 5 Albums sounds exactly like Woody Guthrie "Blowing his Harp and playing his Guitar" so he would have been "Guthriesque" but then I guess you haven't heard of him.

This piece sounds like a sixth form Student has written it but perhaps this writer will develope with more experience...

Ann Alex said...

To Anonymous
Thank you for the comments about my review. You obviously feel very strongly about this matter so I'm very surprised to receive your reply some 7 months after the review was posted. I wish that you had given your name. No, I wasn’t kidding as we take reviews very seriously at Bebop Spoken Here. We do this unpaid work because of an interest and love of music, mainly jazz.
I cannot really say anything much in reply to your complaints as it’s all so long ago, and there’s been so much blog activity since then. I can’t remember how the gig was billed in the Sage brochure. However, you may like to know that I’m an older woman who is well versed in folk music of all kinds, so of course I've heard of Woody Guthrie. I love good songwriting, for example the folk songs of the late Cyril Tawney, or current writers such as Pete Morton. Then there are the songs of the Great American Songbook from composers such as Cole Porter. Porter wrote about many facets of love, with great subtlety and wit, dealing with far more aspects of love than girls’ names and partings.
Ann Alexander (Full name).
PS: I’m quite flattered at being taken for a sixth former – thank you.

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