Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: ''It was then that Coltrane came along and single-handedly brought this dimension of spirituality into jazz. It was a pivotal experience to me.'' (DownBeat 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

18957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 821 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 30.) 100.

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

October.

Sun 04: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Heugh Battery, Hartlepool. 11:00am-12 noon & 1:00-2:00pm.
Sun 04: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 04: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet w. special guest Bill Watson (trumpet).
Sun 04: Sax Choir w. Rachel Musson @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Rivkala + Ceitidh Mac + Thatcher & Knowles @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. A NFOJAIM event.
Sun 04: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free. RESCHEDULED from September 27.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £3.00.

Mon 05: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 05: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 06: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Paul Grainger (double bass).
Tue 06: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Murray Oak, Paul Grainger, John Bradford.
Tue 06: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 06: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Northern Stage, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman stage play inspired by Nina Simone. First night of two.

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 07: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Northern Stage, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman stage play inspired by Nina Simone. Second night of two.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 08: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations).
Thu 08: Indigo Jazz Voices w. Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 09: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 09: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle.

Sat 10: Catfish Keith @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.00. + bf. Jumpin’ Hot Club.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Roller Trio + Legohead @ The Cluny. December 18

(Review by Russell).
A Schmazz Christmas party double bill of Mercury Prize nominees Roller Trio and local heroes Legohead guaranteed a larger than usual turn-out down at the Ouseburn’s premier  music venue. The local lads - Lloyd Wright (guitar), Jon Proud (electric bass) and drummer David Francis - brought along their own following to help boost numbers and they delivered a typically energetic set. Wright’s big chord stretches, riffs and effortless solos wrapped themselves around Jon Proud’s subtle, funking bass lines underpinned by stickman David Francis’ assured performance. The set mixed tunes old (Getaway  Driver - a favourite) and new. A debut CD is on the stocks. It will be available in the early part of next year. Definitely one to add to the collection.
 The headline act returned to Tyneside on the crest of a to-die-for wave of publicity. The Leeds jazz scene had done well to get the word out about Roller Trio. A Bridge Hotel, Newcastle, debut some months ago drew a hard core crowd (fewer than ten!). Word of mouth about that gig and the small matter of being nominated for the 2012 Mercury Prize did the rest. The expectant Cluny crowd (encouragingly a number of younger punters and musicians made the effort to get along) heard a cracking set. 
The trio - James Mainwaring (tenor saxophone), Luke Wynter (guitar) and drummer Luke Reddin-Williams - share certain characteristics with Leeds’ other super star three-piece trio VD; similar instrumentation, the prodigious feat of committing to memory complex music and an amazingly good drummer (trio VD have Chris Bussey, Roller Trio Reddin-Williams). Loud, Mach 10 tempi (with intermittent slower sections offering relief from the hang-on-to your- hats performance) repeatedly drew massive applause. The diminutive Mainwaring punched above his weight aided and abetted by a pedal board, the chilled Wynter (an unintended pun!) twice lit the blue touch paper with stylish, killer solos and at the end of the night it came as no surprise when the stamping of feet, hollering and whistling won an encore. The band’s CD sold well and the boys were only too willing to sign ‘product’ and have a natter with legion fans.
Russell                         

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