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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

Sunday, December 09, 2012

Graeme Wilson Quartet - The Music of John Coltrane. Splinter @ The Bridge.

Graeme Wilson (ten); Stu Collingwood (keys); Andy Champion (bs); Adrian Tilbrook (dms). (Review by Lance.)
Song of the Underground Railroad from Coltrane's Africa Brass album kicked off this tribute. Wilson was in paint-stripping mode from bar one. By bar 16 he was going for the jugular and by the end of his solo he left no doubt that he was The Man to take us on a Trane ride. Collingwood kept the engine fuelled with Tilbrook and Champion making sure it stayed on track. What am I saying? "Stayed on track!" - it did a couple of mid air somersaults , shaked it's caboose and still arrived on time. This was some Trane!
Next up Lazy Bird from Blue Train - my favourite Coltrane album - more outstanding solos and I have to say, at this moment in time, I can't think of four guys who are still alive doing this better than tonight's four. I'm not talking Newcastle or even England - I'm talking the world.
Coltrane's tribute to Sonny Rollins - Like Sonny - ticked the boxes as did the beautiful Aisha from Olé. This was followed by the most amazing version of Countdown. I well recall the Woody Herman Band playing this at a North Sea Jazz Festival circa 1983. Charlie Carmichael and I watched and listened in awe as the five saxes blew this legendary fingerbuster with apparent ease. Tonight, Graeme Wilson did the same and did it even faster!
Break time. The consensus during the interval was that this Coltrane themed gig had pulled a respectably sized audience - as had previous themes such as Miles, Mingus and Bill Evans.... Who next? 
Back on the stand, Tilbrook put the boot in before Wilson joined him for a drum/tenor blast on Venus that led, I think, into Cosmos. Whatever, it was one helluva journey into space!
Bass Blues moved back in time by a minute or two but Persuance from the Love Supreme album propelled us into a world of Supreme Love.
This should have been recorded!
It was! - video link
Lance.
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1 comment :

Robert Laing said...

You can hear (and see, eventually) the whole gig here: http://www.splinterjazz.co.uk/graeme-wilson-coltranenight-soundonly/wilson-coltranenight-sounds-only.mp3

Monday, December 10, 2012 9:06:00 pm

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