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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, April 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

17972 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 293 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (April 22).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

Sat 26: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Darlington. 12 noon. Free (donations).
Sat 26: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 26: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. Tickets: £12.00. + bf. Duo performance.
Sat 26: Neil Cowley Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.50.
Sat 26: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.

Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: ???

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

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

CD Review – Kurt Elling 1619 Broadway, The Brill Building Project.

Kurt Elling (vocal); Probably Laurence Hobgood (Keys/Arranger); ? (Sax); Ulysses Owen Jnr. (Drums); John McLean (Electric Guitar); Clark Sommer (Bass).
(Review by Ann Alex).
This CD, release date 1st October 2012, features (I quote) renditions of classic songs that came out of the Brill Building (Manhattan), from an array of renowned songwriters including Burt Bacharach, Paul Simon, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and Carole King. Indeed, it was in the Brill Building that Bacharach met the lyricist Hal David who passed away last week. A House is Not a Home was one of the many hits the duo wrote and it is sung in Elling’s distinctive style.

Details of the musicians are not given in the Promo CD insert, so I’m taking an educated guess on the above listing, but they do a good job, whoever they are, working on eleven fine songs, such as On Broadway; I Only Have Eyes For You; and Paul Simon’s warts-and-all hymn to America,  American Tune.  The project deliberately avoided including songs by those composers who usually appear on jazz albums, such as Gershwin or Cole Porter.
The opening track, On Broadway, with its theatrical spoken introduction, has effective bass and drums (the drums predominate throughout) with a cool-sounding electric guitar solo.  Other tracks show the keys to good effect, rippling and weaving on You Send Me, or sensitively accompanying the voice on American Tune.  Sax and bass solos do their stuff well and on the last track, Tootie for Cootie, the musicians produce something of a ‘big band feel’, which contrasts nicely with the lonely ‘New York’ feel of earlier tracks.
But I have to confess that I have problems listening to Elling.  Whilst his song interpretations really are innovative, I feel that he has moved somewhat too far away from the original tune.  He didn’t sing the ‘straight’ melody to many of the songs at all.  One can argue that jazz is all about improvisation, but the listener needs to hear what is being improvised upon to some extent, so that there is a reference point.  Others may find that Elling’s style of improvisation is more to their taste, but I found his style vaguely irritating. I much preferred him when he adopted a more straightforward style such as he used for American Tune, or when doing the swingy version of I’m Satisfied.
This is a CD which, whilst it gave me a mixed musical experience, will no doubt be seized upon by his legions of fans and probably gain him a tenth Grammy nomination – so what do I know?.
Ann Alex   
Kurt Elling: 1619 Broadway, The Brill Building Project -  Released Oct. 1.

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