Total Pageviews

6962498

Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17655 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 929 of them this year alone and, so far, 74 this month (Dec. 31).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 05: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Americana, jazz & blues.
Sun 05: Papa G’s Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Mon 06: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 09: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: John H Hammond.
Thu 09: FILM: Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 2:35pm. Documentary (dir. Johan Grimonprez) ‘about jazz, (de)colonial history and activism featuring Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie’.
Thu 09: Happy Tuesdays @ Ye Olde Cross, Ryton. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 09: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 09: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. The session now monthly, next one Thursday 2nd Feb, then first Thursday in the month thereafter.

Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free.

Sat 11: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 11: Under the Wellie @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

CD Review: Chris McNulty - The Song That Sings You Here.


Chris McNulty – voice; Ugonna Okegwo – bass; Marcus Gilmore – drums; Paul Bollenback – guitars; Andrei Kondokov – piano; Graham Wood – piano & Rhodes; Igor Butman – tenor & soprano sax; Anita Wardell – guest vocals.
(Review by Debra Milne)
Chris McNulty is a New York based jazz singer, who has established her reputation over the past decade or so playing in the US, Australia and Europe. The album was recorded with her regular group of international musicians from New York, Australia and Russia

The selection of material and the restrained backing evoke an intimate jazz club, with nicely swinging tunes such as How Little We Know, and some beautifully sung ballads, in particular Horace Silver’s Lonely Woman. The 1930s song The Lamp Is Low is also well done, and builds from a vamp with guitar, piano and vocal into a lively Latin number, with the addition of British born/Australia raised singer Anita Wardell. McNulty’s  vocals have the most attitude,  and some great rhythmic scatting, in the Fats Waller song, Jitterbug Waltz, followed in a similar vein by solos from Igor Butman on tenor sax and Paul Bollenback on guitar. The most unusual track is Song for Marta; it has an Eastern European feel, and was originally composed when McNulty was a teenager.  She recorded the vocal outdoors in Pennsylvania, on a glorious spring day – the birdsong and thunder are genuine.  An exquisite piano accompaniment by Graham Wood was added later.  The sessions for this album were recorded in just one day, and as a result, it has succeeded in conveying the feel of a live performance by this accomplished singer, with a distinctive jazz voice.
Debra Milne.

1 comment :

Hil said...

I checked out her website and really liked what I heard. On another album Chris does a good version of a Burt Bacharach/Hal David all-time favourite of mine "Make it easy on yourself"

Blog Archive