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

18336 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 190 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 28), 90

From This Moment On ...

March

Sun 08: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 9:30am. School Section & Youth Section (all day). £10.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 3/3.
Sun 08: The 58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson's Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: TRIO-SKW @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Josh Savage (drums); Lucas Kelly (organ); Tim ‘Bim’ Williams (guitar).
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Trish Clowes’ My Iris @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 08: Durham University Big Band & Foot Notes @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. £10.00., £8.00., £6.00. Big band & a cappella ensemble.

Mon 09: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

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

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Frosty The Snowman Exposed

Being dragged through miles of shopping arcades, I whiled away the boredom by conjuring up tunes in my mind which would take me away from the Xmas rubbish blaring from the Tannoy . Then, suddenly, there it was, a lovely old song the title of which completely eluded me. Nothing unusual in this as my memory, like many other of my faculties has long passed its intended purpose. So, I hummed the haunting melody to she who lead the way through the hordes. “Do you know what this is called” I asked. “I'm sure it is from the 1940s”  I hummed the lovely old melody again. “Nutter” said my wife Dotty, “it's Frosty The Snowman”
Arriving home, I searched what remains of my memory for the lyric of my new-found old song. With super human effort I forced my thoughts away from drivel of Frosty the flipping Snowman until I hit upon the belief that it was something to do with Monday, or was it Tuesday or it might be Wednesday. Armed with my new evidence I again requested help from Dotty. “It's Frosty the Snowman” Said she who knows everything.
After her murder, I sheltered in the confines of my cellar with my PC and turned the dial to YouTube
Eureka. I found it. Not Monday or Tuesday No. It was SUNDAY. Yep, I had it.
“SOME SUNDAY MORNING” sung by Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes in 1945 - to the tune of  - “Frosty the F,,,.......ing Snowman”
George Watt.

2 comments :

Lance said...

Helen Forrest was a superb singer.

Piano player said...

It would be more accurate to say that Frosty the Snowman (1950) is to the tune of Some Sunday Morning (1945). I happened upon the latter in a book of piano music today, and immediately wondered which came first. For two popular songs released five years apart, it's quite surprising a bigger deal hasn't been made of it. This blog post is the first hit Google gave me on the similarities between the two songs.

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