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

18402 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 266 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 31 ), 76

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

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). Free. Chicago blues.

Sat 04: Jake Leg Jug Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Anthropology. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Wild Women of Wylam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £10.00.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free Quintet + guest Neil Brodie (trumpet).
Sun 05: Mark Williams & Tom Remon @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Jazzmain @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 07: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums).

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Stuart Davies and New Standard @ Hoochie

Stuart Davies (gtr/vcl); John Waugh (ten); Paul Edis (pno/alt); Liam Fender (keys); Ian Patterson (bs. gtr.); Dave Lourie (dms).
(Review by Lance )
This was an experience! Davies, former bass guitarist with Extreme Measures, has added a couple of extra strings and some words to his CV the result being The New Standard.  Quite a band.
To say tonight's gig began franticly would be like describing WWII as 'a game of soldiers'. This was Jazz/Funk taken to the limit by guys who maybe aren't really jazz funkers at heart - or maybe they are. Whatever, the Herbie Hancock opener - Hang-up your Hang ups set the bench mark. 
First to impress was Waugh on tenor. He was in a Curtis groove - Curtis Amy, King Curtis but maybe not Curtis Stigers! As the evening progressed he set out his stall. Waugh is back at Hoochie tomorrow night with Extra Curricular. Surely worth the mere fiver to get in?
Davies had blasted a repetitive riff to get the thing going but, on Blues Hound he chanted and any Blues Buddy wanting to know the secret could do little better than by starting here.
The set went on in predictable vein - and I don't mean that to sound in anyway derogatory - these guys know what they're doing and, despite being their first gig as a unit, they kicked the shit out of what could have been boring and repetitive.
The jazz, the funk, the rock and soul were great but, at the end of the day the blues, After Hours, got the cigar.
Fender cajoled the keys as if he were playing a Rhodes, a Strat or a Tele - he's got the name for it. This was organ blues to curl your toes. Enter Waugh. his soulful tenor aimed at your heart. He played on your emotions before handing over to Edis for some classic blues piano.
This wasn't 9:30pm on Pilgrim St - it was 3:am in Harlem!
Maybe I've missed a few things out like the tenor drum exchanges on the encore, The Harry Connick Jnr., number - Harry is a big favourite in the city these days - I hope you sent Keith some flowers Hal!
Patters' bass, Louries' drums and the two keyboard players, all part of this wonderful mix. Let's hope they find more gigs because they come close to contradicting Miles Kingston's claim that Jazz/Funk bands are usually more funk than jazz.
Stuart has narrowed the gap.
Lance.

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