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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

Monday, October 29, 2012

Whitley Bay Classic Jazz Party - Day 3, Sunday October 28.


(Review by Lance.)
Well, with the help of the Metro and the number 309 - and, of course, that Good Old Wagon the number 27 for the final leg of the return trip I made it.
The Whitley Bay Jazz Party is  something special and well worth the problems non-drivers or reluctant drivers (myself) sometimes face.
If the worst came to the worst I'd walk!
It's simply a wonderful, friendly weekend.
The sets I caught today were; Trumbology -  a wonderful tribute to Frankie Trumbauer, Miss Lil and Lady Blanche - Cecile McLorin Salvant remembering Lil Armstrong and Blanche Calloway, and Save it Pretty Mama - Bent Persson taking a look at the 1928 recordings Louis Armstrong made with Earl Hines.
This latter concert had the multi-faceted Martin Litton in the role of Earl Hines. On Saturday he was Mary Lou Williams and on Thursday Teddy Wilson. He was also himself at several other concerts! Persson and Enrico Tomasso shared the role of Louis.
Cecile didn't disappoint, laying down the same high quality that mesmerised us at The Sage on Thursday, but surprising me at least, by the number of fine, yet little known, tunes associated with both her chosen artists. From pianist Lil Armstrong came It's Murder, Bluer Than Blue, Just For a Thrill - perhaps the best known tune and one which has a well deserved place in many singer's repertoire - and Harlem on a Saturday Night. For this part of her set, Tomasso (cornet) and Jean-Francoise Bonnel (ten/clt), made up the front line whilst "down in the engine room" we had Martin Seck (pno); Malcolm Sked (bs/sousa); Nick Ward (dms) and of course Roly Veitch on guitar.
Blanche Calloway, sister of Cab, provided Cecile with a little known Cole Porter tune, I'm Getting Myself Ready For You followed by Misery, You Ain't Living Right, Blue Memories and Growling Dad. This part of  the statuesque lady's set saw the band augmented by Persson, the amazing young trombone player Alistair Allan and saxists Rene Hagmann and Thomas Winteler. The sound was good and the solos superb. As for the vocals - perfection!
Yesterday Josh Duffee was a Cottonpicker, today he was Chauncey Moorhouse clip-clopping along behind some Bix and Tram classics. Ostrich Walk from 1927 opened it up. Andy Schumm could have been born in Davenport so authentic was his Bixian solo (transcribed I guess but so what? Who's going to better it?) The three saxes - Michael McQuaid, Matthias Seuffert and Stéphane Gillot - had a lovely 3 alto chorus. Norman Field doubled on C melody sax and alto with Franz Sjostrom on bass sax. Duke Heitger augmented or replaced Schumm on some numbers, Kristoffer Kompen blew trombone like Miff Mole and Emma Fisk, compared elsewhere to Joe Venuti, was a one woman string section. Keith Nicholls (pno), Martin Wheatley (bjo/gtr) along with Duffee on drums made up the rhythm section and the whole shebang chugged along like a souped-up Stanley Steamer.
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, Cryin' All Day, Turn on the Heat (vocal by Spats Langham), I'm Comin' Virginia, Three Blind Mice, Borneo (more Spats), Singin' The Blues and the wonderful Wringing and Twisting made this a most enjoyable set.
These concerts that I've looked at represent but the tip of a weekend that ran each day from noon, sometimes earlier, through to early hours jam sessions in the Victory Pub.
Mike and Patti Durham and their helpers certainly put on an inspired and impressive programme which explains why so many folk have already booked up for 2013!
Photos,
Lance.

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