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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sun 09: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 09: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ The Forum, Billingham. 3:00pm.
Sun 09: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Tom Remon & Mark Williams @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 09: Rod Oughton’s Tomorrow’s New Quartet with Ben van Helder @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Deschanel Gordon.
Sun 09: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 11: Steve Summers Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Free. Inc. Olly Styles (tenor sax).
Thu 13: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: Artist Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Hannabiell & Midnight Blue.
Thu 13: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 12:30-1:30pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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, October 17, 2012

Degree Welcome Gig @ The Sage Gateshead. October 16

(Review by Russell)
A celebratory gig to welcome the Class of 2015 to the BA (Hons) Community Music and BMus (Hons) Jazz, Popular and Commercial Music degrees delivered at The Sage Gateshead in partnership with University of Sunderland. So said the blurb and that’s exactly what we got. 
The new intake of music students gathered to hear just what their tutors could do. A cast of thousands over two sets, the jazz element led the way.
 Vocalist Katherine Zeserson and guitarist James Birkett reprised their GAS Book set with two Gershwin tunes – The Man I Love and It Ain't Necessarily So. The heavyweights followed. Gerry Richardson (keyboards), Rod Sinclair (guitar), Neil Harland (electric bass) and Paul Smith (drums). The Meters, Freddie King and Jimmy Smith made for a smokin’ set. The Stumble featured Sinclair (Hey Mr Guitar Student – put down that copy of the Beano and get wood shedding!). Richardson and Sinclair had some fun on Back at the Chicken Shack, Harland slung around some funk lines and Smith surely has the patent on the metronome. The first set drew to a close with an energetic, exhausting performance from Boom Dang. Eight drummers marching, dancing, doing the hokey cokey, they were good fun, supremely talented. They hail from Dalton in Furness and distance being no object, should Graham Hardy need to call up a dep for Brendan or Nik in the Northern Monkey Brass Band then any one of these guys would fit the bill perfectly.
The second half opened with Dave Camlin (guitar & vocals), Paul Susans (double bass) and Brendan Murphy (Sauvignon  Blanc-o-phone & sundry percussion). Singer-songwriter Camlin sang with clarity and conviction (Bells of St Nemo), Susans expressed relief that the desire of the student audience to sing along spared him backing vocal duties and Murphy coaxed sounds from an array of instruments. The Sauvignon Blanc-o-phone, as Camlin called it, could well have been mistaken for Murphy’s unsuccessful entry to this year’s Turner Prize. Twenty or more wine glasses - half full/half empty, the choice is yours – crowded on to a makeshift platform resembling the empties on a table at last orders after a good night out in the club. Sauvignon Blanc or water? Who knows? Murphy rang notes from one, then, sleight of hand, another and another. 
The vocalists followed in ever-changing combinations (Camlin, Zeserson, Bex Mather and Helen Chadwick sang Cumberland Moon). One by one the evening’s participants returned to the stage (vocalist Sharon Durant and steel pan player Wendy Doyle appeared belatedly). At the last count thirteen of them were up there jamming on a Zimbabwean Hi-Life vibe Home 3. A talented lot these tutors. So, over to you, the Class of 2015.
Russell                    

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