Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 2026)

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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

From This Moment On

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Monday, December 03, 2012

CD Review: New Cool Collective - Eighteen

Benjamin Herman (alt/fl/vcl); David Rockefeller (tpt/tmb/flg/vcl); Anton Goudsmit (gtr/vcl); William Friede (Rhodes/keys/vcl); Lesley Lopez (bs/vcl); Justin Kroon (dms/vcl); Frank van Dok (perc/vcl); Jos de Haas (perc/ lead vcls).
(Review by Lance)
A lovely reminder of last Saturday's gig at Hoochie - indeed several, if not all, of the tunes on this CD were played that night. The music is totally infectious - it hits you with a triple whammy - your head your heart and your feet - particularly your feet! The Reggae, Ska, Calypso rhythms behind the horns make it impossible to sit still!
It's not all Caribbean though - The Donkey is a kind of Night Owl guitar blast and the Afrikaans' style vocal number Ogun - presumably related to that area of Nigeria - has some tightly muted Milesian trumpet from Rockefeller and post Parker alto from Herman.
Herman shines again on 12 Monkeys - there is a fluency about his playing that sends off all sorts of good vibrations and I don't mean the Beach Boys! Frankie and Gracie is another one where Herman wails. I remember hearing the late Piet Noordijk back in the 1980s and Herman is up in that class.
Como Camina has a Horace Silver feel to it (Senor Blues/Cape Verdean Blues) and Rockefeller's gutsy trumpet would, in a different era, easily have gelled with Silver or Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Sanctification displays the trumpet player's more lyrical side and brings the disc to an almost ecclesiastical close.
If you're having a party this Xmas and NCC are already booked go for this disc but keep the doors and windows closed otherwise the whole street will be crowding into your living room!
More detail of  New Cool Collective - Eighteen on www.doxrecords.com.
Lance.

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