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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

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.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

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 02, 2012

New Cool Collective @ Hoochie Saturday December 1

Benjamin Herman (alto); David Rockefeller (tpt/tmb);  Roly ? (gtr); William Friede (rhodes); Leslie Lopez (bs); Joost Kroon (dms); Frank van Dok. Jos de Haas (perc.)
(Review by Lance)
Warren told me this band from The Netherlands would knock me out and it did - did it not! I wasn't alone, the crowded room of, in the main, younger folk loved it too. They were listening, dancing to jazz and probably didn't know it!
Sizzling jazz solos from the horns, guitar and Rhodes over a compelling mix of Caribbean rhythms got the show rolling.
It was non stop!
Herman blows alto like there's no tomorrow, Rockefeller is a millionaire in ideas - each one building on the one before. The band's new guitarist, Roly, didn't catch his surname, had some powerful blasts that let everyone know he was no passenger. What am I saying? In some numbers he was the driver!
Nice to see the good old Fender Rhodes given a new lease of life and William Friede not only did that but  he made everyone know that the Rhodes is still a contender.
The crowd were in hand-clapping mode by the second number and it wasn't long before the dancers gradually appeared. By the final number even I was shaking a limb or two!
Throughout, the rhythm section whipped things up to a frenzied height. Lopez cool looking and laid back, the percussionists raising the cardiac levels and Kroon's drum solo was comparable with any drum solo I've ever heard. There were also band vocals, Dizzy like chants that added to the ever increasing tension for us mortals.
I bet this band would, and no doubt have done, go down a bomb in the Amsterdam clubs Ron Ainsborough has been writing about over the past few days. CD coming up for review shortly.
The closest to tonight's band is Hannabiell and Midnight Blue who play Hoochie on New Year's Eve.
That should be quite a night too.
In the mean time, the Leeds invasion of Newcastle continues on Thursday with the Kate Peter's Septet.
Lance

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