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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, 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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

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

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Jazz Summit 2012

The good thing about this meeting was the number of people who showed up. The bad thing was those who didn't show. Apart from Mike Durham, Keith Crombie, Brian Bennett and the guys from Saltburn, I didn't see any of the more mainstream orientated promoters. Their input would have been valuable.
As it was, it was a constructive evening which, inevitably for an opener, ended up as a work in progress.
Paul Bream spoke well describing the achievements of the now no more Jazz Action, of Jazz North East, Schmazz and the future prospects for Jazz in the region.
Nigel Slee of the newly formed  Jazz North waxed eloquent on the future and how the North East, The North West, and Yorkshire would become one. Not everyone was convinced of this and the criteria that would be applied to select - say ten bands - to be funded and promoted and how they would be pigeon-holed style-wise. .In the chair, Chris Hodgkins, assured those present that all bands would be adjudged on merit irrespective of genre. (We shall see!)
Steve Crocker, of Seven Jazz, Leeds, reported on their success story and so the story ended - on a cliffhanger!
Afterwards the various factions intermingled, making full use of the bar, totally oblivious to what Zoe Gilby and Andy Champion were laying down. Let's be honest, the Basie Band wouldn't have been heard above the conversation!
However, once the chit-chat had settled at an acceptable level, Zoe came across beautifully - Our Love is Here To Stay brought the audience down to pin-drop acoustics and it was much appreciated by those with ears.
As I said earlier - a work in progress. Not so Zoe, she's a work progressing so fast Diana Krall is looking over shoulders! In fact Diana said to me the other day in The Jazz Café - "I'm sure glad Zoe doesn't play piano!"
Mind you this was a different Diana.
Lance.

2 comments :

Hil said...

I was surprised there were not more local young musicians interested enough to attend. Did they all have gigs on a Monday evening? Surely they wish to keep jazz alive in this area?
Then again you only have to look at Splinter on a Sunday evening. Some musicians and vocalists only ever show up for their own gigs.

Lance said...

You're touching on one of my sore points. There are so many fine young musicians coming out of the music schools and colleges yet, as you say, they never show up for other peoples gigs (an exception last night was Michael Lamb of the Strictly Smokin' Big Band.)
One wonders if they think that because they've been to college they know it all and can't learn anything from listening to jazzers who actually earn a crust from playing in clubs and bars?
Which brings me to another related area. How do we attract, not just the younger element, but the younger element from a working class, state school, background?

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