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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 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

18069 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 390 of them this year alone and, so far, 68 this month (May 222).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:15pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bywell Hall, Stocksfield. 1:30pm. Northumberland County Show.
Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm.
Sat 24: Dean Stockdale Quartet + Mingus Sings @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Stockdale (piano); Tim Williams (guitar); Gavin Barras (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums) + Mingus Sings: Sara Oschlag (vocals); Alan Barnes (reeds); Tim Lapthorn (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); Clark Tracey (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sat 24: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 24: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sat 24: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 24: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 25: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Spanish City Plaza (outdoor stage). 11:30am & 1:00pm. Free. A Whitley Bay Carnival event.
Sun 25: Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion: Bandstand Sessions @ The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free. A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 1:30pm. Free.
Sun 25: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Catriona Bourne Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Bourne (harp), Francis Tulip (guitar), James Owston (double bass), Joe Bainbridge (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Struggle Buggy @ The Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 25: Joe Steels Group + Norma Winstone (vocals); Nikki Iles (piano); Mike Walker (guitar); Steve Watts (double bass). 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Steels (guitar); Ferg Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Susans (double bass); John Hirst (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 25: Xhosa Cole/Neil Charles/Mark Sanders @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A JNE promotion. Note: Xhosa Cole replaces Nicole Mitchell.

Mon 26: Catriona Bourne Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 26: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 27: Bold Big Band @ Newcastle Arts Centre, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £12.00. & £10.00.
Tue 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Front St., Rothbury NE65 7UT.7:30pm. £12.00.; £10.00. adv. from Tully’s (opp. venue).

Wed 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 28: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 28: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 29: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: That’s the Blues, Dad.
Thu 29: Nova.sol + Mikoudi @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 29: Front Porch Three @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Americana, blues etc.

p>Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 30: Rivkala @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 30: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Middleton & Tonbridge Village Hall. 7:30pm.

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 22, 2013

Southport Jazz Festival set to return for a 13th year and a brand new home.

The Atkinson, Southport’s state-of-the-art new venue has announced it will be home to the 13th annual Southport Jazz Festival, which will run from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 May 2013.
The festival has firmly established itself as one of the regions premier music events and will feature a whole host of internationally acclaimed artists from the world of Jazz. The line-up includes James Morton’s Pork Chop, James Morrison with the Swingshift Big Band, MOBO Award winners Kairos 4Tet, Joe Stilgoe Trio and up and coming talent including Go Go Penguin.
Southport Jazz festival is to be one of the first events to be hosted at the brand new Atkinson venue, a cultural jewel in the crown of the seaside resort. It is a long-awaited £17 million development of the old Southport Arts Centre, Atkinson Art Gallery, Botanic Gardens Museum and the central Library and is due to open early May 2013.
Emma Lloyd, Marketing, Programme and Visitor Services Manager said “The 2013 Southport Jazz Festival is different to the past events, as this year there are headlining jazz gigs taking place throughout the 3-days so we are able to offer a range of weekend, day and session tickets to encourage people to stay in the town that little bit longer.
We have worked really hard to ensure that the programme is diverse and has something for everyone, from the contemporary to the big band jazz, from the well-established names to the new soon-to-be stars of the jazz circuit. This year we are delighted that CAMRA have come on board to run a beer festival as part of the festival – we know this will add to the festivities.”
The full programme of events will see performances from the world of Jazz playing throughout the day and night at The Atkinson, it all kicks off on the Friday with Sheffield-born vocalist from the Nicola Farnon Quartet, who the legendary late Humphrey Lyttleton described as “A class act who should be on every jazz festival in the land...a sure fire hit!” The Al Wood Nine take over early evening with selection of bebop and swing from the multi-talented group and will perform some special arrangements as well as their classic set.  Friday evening will also feature charismatic altoist James Morton leading his band Porkchop through a collection of funk, soul jazz and gospel sound.
Go-Go Penguin makes their return to the SJF to start Saturday’s proceedings, following their huge success at last year’s festival. They are one of the most exciting contemporary instrumental groups working today.  Saturday will also feature The Bateman Brothers Jazz Band, an all-star group comprising of Alan Bateman (trumpet/vocals), Ian Bateman (trombone), Trevor Whiting (clarinet), Craig Milverton (piano), John Day (Bass), Steve Rushton (Drums) and Maggie Reeday (vocals). Their special guests for the Festival are Enrico Tommasso and Spats Langham.  Also part of Saturday’s big line-up is Gabby Young and Other Animals.  The 7-piece band, are the ringmasters of Circus Swing, a musical genre that fuses Swing Jazz, Eastern European beats and English Folk created with horn, wind and percussion instruments.  Closing Saturday is Sector 7, made up of seven talented musicians, amongst them, award-winning vocalist Sarah Ellen Hughes. Having only being on the jazz scene for two years they have already taken the musical world by storm, recording and releasing their EP, gaining critical acclaim, and being invited to perform at prestigious events and festivals across Europe.
Sunday starts in great style, music and film lovers of all ages will enjoy Terry Seabrook’s band Milestonesperforming a new film score at this year’s festival. Inspired by the Miles Davis soundtrack Lift to the Scaffold, Seabrook has written his own full-length jazz soundtrack, for Buster Keaton’s 1924 film Sherlock JrMilestoneswill perform live as the film is screened. Making their first appearance at the Southport Jazz festival are the award-winning Kairos 4Tet, a band born out of a desire to explore times past, present and future via music. Winners of 2011’s MOBO award for ‘Best Jazz Act’, they make a welcome addition to Sunday’s line-up.  The chart topping sensation the Joe Stilgoe Trio take the festival into Sunday evening, as one of the world’s finest singer-pianists Stilgoe released his critically acclaimed second album ‘We Look to The Stars’ last year.  Closing the festival is Australian musical virtuoso James Morrison, besides the trumpet, this multi-instrumentalist also plays trombone, euphonium, flugelhorn, tuba, saxophone and piano. Morrison has performed gigs in the world’s most famous jazz clubs, been commanded by royalty and political leaders, and has been awarded The Order of Australia for his services to the arts. James will perform with the Swingshift Big Band for the festival finale.
CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) will be running a beer festival alongside the three-day jazz event, showcasing a selection of real ales and perrys for the public to sample.
The Southport Jazz Festival for 2013 encompasses The Atkinson - Headline Gigs, The Jazz Festival Village at the Town Hall Gardens and The Fringe Festival across the town.
Follow all the latest festival news on the Southport Jazz Festival on twitter #southportjazz and facebook/The Atkinson

EVENT LISTINGS

Friday 10 May
The Nicola Farnon Quartet                                2.30pm
The Al Wood Nine                                               7pm
James Morton’s Porkchop                                 10pm

Saturday 11 May
Go Go Penguin                                                   11am
The Bateman Bothers Jazz Band                     2.30pm
Gabby Young and the Other Animals             7pm
Sector 7                                                               10pm

Sunday 12 May
Milestones Play to the Silent Screen                  11am
Kairos 4tet                                                               2.30pm
Joe Stilgoe Trio                                                       5pm
James Morrison with Swingshift Big Bang         8pm 

HOW TO BOOK

Southport Jazz Festival
Dates: 10-12 May 2013
Day and Weekend Festival Tickets are now on sale.

01704 533 333or online at www.seftonarts.co.uk*
*Subject to booking fee.

Join The Atkinson mailing list at www.theatkinson.co.uk

The AtkinsonLord Street,
Southport
PR8 1DB

1 comment :

Mary said...

Cool. Thanks for providing these details. Do you know anything about southport hotels half board? I wanna spend holidays there.

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