Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18897 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 761 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 11.) 40.

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

September.

Mon 14: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Lawrence, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 17: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 17: Front Porch Blues @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 17: Miles 100 @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. Jack Courtney (trumpet); Sue Ferris (tenor sax); Tom Atkinson (guitar); Alan Law (piano); Deon Krishnan (bass); Jeff Armstrong (drums). A night of Miles Davis.
Thu 17: Amphitrio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £7.00. Andrei Petrache (piano); Mike Alex (double bass); Philip Goron (drums).

Fri 18: Danny Lownes’ Hot Club @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Mark Williams Trio @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 18: Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £10.00., £5.00. student.
Fri 18: Rivkala + Beccy Sloan @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.

Sat 19: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal. All welcome.
Sat 19: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-5:00pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner: Nina Simone. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 19: Ray Stubbs’ R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.

Sat 19: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal. All welcome.

Sun 20: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 20: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.

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.

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

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