Bebop Spoken There

Ethan Hawke (starring as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon): ''Larry [Lorenz] Hart would be so happy that his music and his words and his poetry are still alive.'' - The Northern Echo 27 November 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

18000 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 964 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 24).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Sat 06: Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 06: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Minor Swing. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 06: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 06: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76 (inc. bf).
Sat 06: Kaberry Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. (inc. hot buffet). ‘Christmas 1945’. Kaberry Big Band, formerly Vermont Big Band.
Sat 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ Platform 1, Bedlington. 7:30pm. £6.00. Rhythm & blues.
Sat 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. Xmas Party with buffet.
Sat 06: The Jive Aces @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £22.00., £20.00.
Sat 06: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 07: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. special guest Donna Hewitt (sax, clarinet).
Sun 07: Finn-Keeble Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 07: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio + Ruth Lambert.
Sun 07: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Jason Isaacs Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 5:15pm (4:00pm doors). £21.50 (inc. bf).
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3 Stories, High St. West, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Support set from Play More Jazz! course participants. Note earlier start.

Mon 08: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 09: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm

Wed 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 10: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Mike Lindup Jazz Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £26.50 (inc. bf). Lindup, Yolanda Charles (bass), John Sam (drums).
Wed 10: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £12.00.

Thu 11: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: West Coast (cool ) / Wordsearch (cool) Cool Jazz or ‘Cold’, ‘Cool’, ‘Hot’, ‘Warm’ in the title or lyrics.
Thu 11: George Robinson @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £5.42 (inc. bf). Vienna’s Voice charity evening featuring ’15 year old singing sensation the ‘Redcar Crooner’ George Robinson’. Over 35s only.
Thu 11: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. back tapes.
Thu 11: Ransom Van @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 11: Down for the Count Swing Orchestra @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:30pm. £37.70 (inc. bf). ‘Swing into Xmas’.

Fri 12: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 12: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £15.00. ‘Xmas Soiree’.
Fri 12: A Jazzy Xmas @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £15.00. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, soprano sax); Matthew Forster (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 12: Tony Hadley: Xmas Big Band Tour 2025 @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Fri 12: Alexia Gardner @ The New Ship Inn, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. 8:00pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy, Abbie Finn.
Fri 12: Jive Aces: Swingin’ Xmas Show @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm.

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, December 17, 2012

Liverpool's First International Jazz Festival.

The Capstone Theatre is delighted to announce a new International Jazz Festival to launch from 28th February 3rd March 2013, in Liverpool - the UK’s music capital.  For a full four days the Liverpool International Jazz Festival and the Capstone Theatre will come alive to the sounds of Roller Trio, Led Bib, Robert Mitchell,Kit Downes Quintet, Denys Baptiste's Triumvirate and Courtney Pine to name a few highlights, and all under one roof.
Some of the finest names on the national and international jazz scene are set to demonstrate that the spirit of jazz is still swingin’ and jumpin’ in Liverpool and some programmed events are absolutely free.
In the short time since its opening in 2010, The Capstone Theatre has established itself as the city's leading venue for cutting edge jazz and world music.  This new festival is going all out to showcase original and innovative instrumental sounds from an array of high profile artists to satisfy the genre lovers and to introduce the fascinating world of jazz to a whole new generation of music fanatics.
The Capstone Theatre’s Neil Campbell said 'The Festival will be the first of its kind in Liverpool and will give the opportunity to bring together some of the most high profile national and international artists alongside some of the City's most creative local jazz musicians. Since beginning its ongoing series of jazz concerts two years ago, starting with a concert by sax legend Courtney Pine, The Capstone has staged concerts by some of the most interesting and excellent international jazz artists including Dennis Rollins, Neil Cowley, Zoe Rahman, Martin Taylor, Gwilym Simcock, Lighthouse, Jah Wobble, Stacey Kent, Kairos 4tet, Tigran, Eduardo Niebla, Phronesis, Portico Quartet and Tommy Smith. I think that through The Capstone's programme, Merseyside audiences are being given the opportunity to experience world class musicians who otherwise would not have performed in the City.'
Thursday 28th February will see the festival open in smooth style with Roller Trio. Described by BBC’s Radio’sGilles Peterson as “Dark, menacing, bass heavy – the new sound of UK jazzzzzzz” .On 1st March, just as the weekend arrives Led Bib, one of the original torch bearers for the revitalized young British jazz scene –a maverick jazz band and an unlikely rock quintet will be headlining the second day of the festival. The third day of the festival will not be slowing down as composer, teacher and pianist Robert Mitchell, a throwback to that powerful tradition of artistic mastery in pursuit of transcendence, takes to the stage, followed by the Kit Downes Quintet, the dark and detailed, colorful and chaotic new project from UK pianist and composer Kit Downes.
Sunday 3rd March will see London Jazz artist Denys Baptiste performing with his new trio Triumvirate. Consisting of double bassist Larry Bartley and drummer Moses Boyd, Triumvirate take quality songs of the recent past - think Gnarls Barkley's Crazy and D'Angelo's Brown Sugar - and reinterpret them in trio format to present familiar material in an unfamiliar way.
The Festival will culminate in a final concert by jazz legend Courtney Pine, who returns to The Capstone with his phenomenal House of Legends TourAn inspirational icon to many young, upcoming musicians, Courtney is known extensively for this saxophone and clarinet mastery however he is a multi-instrumentalist who is also able to play the flute, and keyboard. Awarded an OBE in 2000 and a CBE in 2009 Courtney’s other accolade is his appearance in a jazz quartet in an episode of Doctor Who! The jazz maestro launched The Capstone's jazz programme back in 2010 with a sell-out performance and this concert promises to be something very special.
No festival in Liverpool would be complete without the very best in native talent and the Liverpool International Jazz Festival is no exception.  Supporting these jazz supremos will also be a series of free performances by Liverpool jazz musicians, including Blind Monk Trio, Martin Smith’s The Weave, Perri and Neil Quartet, White Canvasand GORP.
Exclusive to the Liverpool International Jazz Festival, The Capstone Theatre and specialist woodwind retailer Curly Woodwind will present two free saxophone workshops and masterclasses. The first will see renowned saxophone recording artist, author and composer Pete Thomas, alongside legendary sax stars Bobby Wellins and Tony Kofi, discuss how to achieve the best sound on your instrument. The second class will see professional saxophonist, consultant and teacher Graeme Turner offer the very best advice on how to improvise effectively.
Liverpool’s newest music event, the Liverpool International Jazz Festival is set to become an annual event with the Capstone Theatre at its very heart.  More information can be found on www.thecapstonetheatre.com
Follow us on facebook @Liverpool International Jazz Festival and twitter @LpoolJazzFest
LISTING INFORMATION
Roller Trio
Thursday 28th February 2013, 7.30pm
£12.50
Martin Smith’s The Weave
Thursday 28th February 2013, 10pm
Free admission
Led Bib
Friday 1st March, 7.30pm
£12.50
GORP
Friday 1st March, 10pm
Free admission
Robert Mitchell
Saturday 2nd March, 2pm
£10
White Canvas
Saturday 2nd March, 4.30pm
Free admission
Kit Downes Quintet
Saturday 2nd March, 7.30pm
£12.50
Perri and Neil Quartet
Saturday 2nd March, 10pm
Free admission
Denys Baptiste’s Triumvirate
Sunday 3rd March, 3pm
£12.50
Blind Monk Trio
Sunday 3rd March, 5.30pm
Free admission
Courtney Pine House of Legends
Sunday 3rd March, 8pm
£17.50
SUNDAY WORKSHOPS LISTINGS
Taming the Saxophone - Tone Production
Sunday 3rd March,
11:00
How to Improvise Effectively
Sunday 3rd March,
12:30
HOW TO BOOK
In person: TicketQuarter, Queen Square, Liverpool, L1 1RG.
Ticket Quarter Box Office: 0844 8000 410*or online at www.thecapstonetheatre.com*

*Subject to booking fee.

The Capstone TheatreShaw Street,
Liverpool
L6 1HP
FESTIVAL PASSES
Available online at Liverpool Hope University’s online store at http://store.hope.ac.uk.
PASSES - £65 - As a festive treat, we are offering a 10% discount on all Festival Passes purchased before 10th January 2013.

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