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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 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

18018 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 339 of them this year alone and, so far, 17 this month (May 7).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Gregory Porter + Jo Harrop @ Newcastle City Hall. 7:30pm. Support act: Jo Harrop!

Tue 13: ???

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Recital (stage 2): Leah Kirk (voice) @ The Band Room, Music Studios, Assembly Lane, Newcastle University. 3:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 14: Jerron Paxton @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £24.20. Excellent country blues multi-instrumentalist.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. BACK IN BUSINESS, all welcome!

Thu 15: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: The Greatest in Jazz - Guitarists.
Thu 15: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 15: New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). John Garner & John Pope.

Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Sophie Speed with the Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 16: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 16: Giles Strong Quartet @ Longframlington Memorial Hall. 7:00pm (doors). Tickets: £12.00. from 01665 570984.
Fri 16: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £10.00.
Fri 16: Peter Donegan & Anthony Donegan @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. ‘Lonnie Donegan - The Stories’.

Sat 17: Teresa Watson Band @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 17: The Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Tel: 0191 500 9494. £26.00 (inc. two course meal). Line-up: Jason Holcomb, Hannah Taylor, Alix Shepherd & Abbie Finn.
Sat 17: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 17: Archie Brown & the Young Bucks @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues, Americana etc.
Sat 17: Rockin’ Turner Brothers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Rockabilly, Western swing etc.

Sun 18: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Ruth Lambert & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 18: Steve Summers Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

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

Monday, October 01, 2012

Scarborough Jazz Festival September 29 - Evening.

National Youth Jazz Orchestra
Helen Wilson (fl); Phil Meadows, Jim Gold (alt); Nadim Teimoori, Riley Stone-Lonergon (ten); Simon Marsh (bar); Louis Dowdswell, Tom Syson, Nick Dewhurst, Tom Dennis, James Copus (tpt); Ralph Clarkson, Maddy Dowdswell, Tom Green, Chris Valentine, James Buckle (tmb); Dave Drake (pno); Rob Luft (gtr); Conor Chaplin (bs); Felix Higginbottom (perc); Scott Chapman (dms); Emma Smith (vcls); Mark Armstrong (md) + Tim Garland (ten/sop).
Ellington's Rockin' in Rhythm got NYJO off to a swinging start with pianist Drake doing the Dukish type introduction. before the band hit it with a whole lot 0f power. The Cat Anderson-like finale from a trumpet player whose name I didn't catch added a touch of authenticity to the arrangement.
Tim Garland came on and played 'Round Midnight quite beautifully adding the slightly sinister feel the Monk tune invariably evokes. Emma Smith unleashed some amazing vocalese on Kenny Wheeler's Know Where You Are. This was all the more remarkable as she was wearing a dress that must surely have restricted her breathing - not that I'm complaining - a million dollars would be cut-price! Emma returned after Return Flight for Midnight Sun (twice in one day for the Hampton/Mercer tune).
Tim Garland re-joined for Agro Alegria, a complex piece with flamenco overtones, that saw him work out on both horns.
Summer Sundays and Emma on Feeling Good left the audience - feeling good.
Lance.
Over in the Jazz Lounge, Festival Supremo, Mike Gordon, sat in on piano with the Birkett Trio for Blue Bossa. Nice to have a promoter who can 'Do the business' - musically speaking.
Tim Garland Quartet.
Tim Garland (ten/sop/bs clt.);  John Turville (pno); Laurence Cottle (bs gtr); Asif Sirkis (dms).
If Music Be the Food of Love was Tim's tribute to William Shakespeare and, in the audience was one of my Facebook Friends - Bill Shakespeare - hope to have a link to some of his photos soon,
The piece had a nice folksy feel to it and Garland seemed to be inclined in that direction at times. In a Sentimental Mood was an item of sheer beauty aided and abetted by a rhythm section that laid down the perfect cushion for him.
Tim was also in a flamenco frame of mind as he had  hinted at earlier in his spot with NYJO and the piece that may or may not have been called Mecca Del Sol was very much a la Espanol. He blew some fine bass clarinet and Turville on piano also did some cooking whilst Gilad after opening on oude switched to kit for the best drum solo to date.The final Mentos - subtitled The Devil's Goat had some wild tenor playing that surely was inspired by Beelzebub himself. Laurence Cottle also played some notes and chords and phrases that were definitely born in Hades.
Lance.
.
Claire Martin Sextet.
Claire Martin (vcl); Jim Mullen (gtr); Nigel Hitchcock (alt); Gareth Williams (pno); Laurence Cottle (bs. gtr); Dave Ohm (dms).
(Photo courtesy of Bill Shakespeare.)
Saturday night finished off with that exquisite vocalist Claire Martin who gave an immaculate performance - does she ever do anything other than delight an audience?
The material was perfect without being hackneyed and included I Keep Going Back to Joe's, Come Back to me (terrific Hitchcock alto), You Turned the Tables on Me, an ultra fast Just in Time, a couple of Hoagy's - I Get Along Without You Very Well acompanied by Jim Mullen - who wasn't daunted at having to follow Jim Birkett - and Baltimore Oriole. Cole Porter got a look in with From This Moment On - some nice playing by Williams still wearing his Bill Evans hat, 'Round Midnight and finally It Could Happen To You. Special mention for Cottle who stayed over from the previous set and Dave Ohm who kept it all together.
I slept well.
Lance.

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