Bebop Spoken There

Emma Rawicz: "In a couple of years I've gone from being a normal university student to suddenly being on international stages." DownBeat January 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

18219 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 73 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 24), 73

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Sat 31: Darling Dollies @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Vocal trio.
Sat 31: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

FEBRUARY 2026

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet + guest Bill Watson (trumpet, flugelhorn).
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Annie & the Caldwells @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £25.00. adv. Gospel/soul.
Sun 01: Jive Aces @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Sun 01: Olly Styles Experience + Jenny Baker @ the Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject:Times of the Day & Trios.
Thu 05: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Special guest Emma Wilson.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Durham Alumni Big Band & Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00. Two big bands on stage together!
Fri 06: Nauta + Littlewood Trio @ Little Buildings, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Double bill + jam session.
Fri 06: FILM: Made in America @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Ornette Coleman.
Fri 06: Deep Six Blues @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 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

Monday, February 25, 2013

Northern Spirits – Jazz Festival celebrates North East Landscape Saturday 6 April 2013

The music of two of the UK’s most distinctively original jazz composers – Tim Garland and native Tynesider Ian Carr – will be featured at Gateshead International Jazz Festival, inspired by the landscapes of the North East of England.
The Northern Spirits concert will include the world premiere performance of ‘Songs to the North Sky’ composed by Tim Garland. In addition to this new suite will be the first performance in the North East of ‘Northumbrian Sketches’ (both to be conducted by Clark Rundell) which was composed by the late musician Ian Carr. Featuring Northern Sinfonia, orchestra of The Sage Gateshead, both performances will offer the combined forces of jazz musicians and classical, appealing to a wide range of music lovers.
Composer Tim Garland was inspired by the North East to create the approachable, melodic and cinematic piece ‘Songs to The North Sky’. Movements within the piece include ‘Tyne Song’, ‘Shapes Over Northumberland’, ‘Storm Over Kielder’ and ‘Little Bay Blue’ (dedicated to the beach near Tim’s home in Whitley Bay).
Tim Garland said:  "The suite was inspired by the big skylines of the North East and my time travelling to and from there, it’s the most cinematic and autobiographical work I've written with a particular emphasis on melodies fitting for these big skyscapes".
The orchestrated work of ‘Northumbrian Sketches’ by trumpeter / composer Ian Carr was commissioned for the Bracknell Jazz Festival in 1986. The piece is in four movements and was a tribute to the Northumbrian author, Sid Chaplin, a North Eastern writer for novels, screenplays and poems often set in County Durham’s pit villages in the 1940s and ‘50s. The piece uses the landscape which Chaplin had known and loved and combines classical string orchestration with vibrant jazz improvisation.
John Cumming, from Serious said of the piece: “I was privileged to work with Ian Carr on many occasions over the years, including co-commissioning ‘Northumbrian Sketches’, which received its premiere at both jazz and classical music festivals at South Hill Park Bracknell in the 1980s.  I remember Ian describing the challenge of writing for strings with great excitement, and when George Foster and Serious re-discovered the piece for Ian's memorable memorial concert in 2010, it reminded me just how accomplished and absorbing this music remains.  It will be real pleasure to hear it once more and I'm sure Ian's creative spirit will watch over and inspire this first North-Eastern performance.”
The concert also includes a forty minute set by the award winning trio Lighthouse, which includes Tim Garland along with pianist Gwilym Simcock and percussionist Asaf Sirkis. Lighthouse themselves were also inspired by a North East landmark - St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay - and have now played all over the world.
Ros Rigby said: “This is a unique event celebrating two ambitious compositions for jazz ensemble and orchestra - one from the last century and one written in the last year- both inspired by the North Eastern landscape and culture. We are delighted to make it one of the highlights of the 2013 Gateshead International Jazz Festival.”
Northern Spirits is at The Sage Gateshead on Saturday 6 April 2013, as part of Gateshead International Jazz Festival which takes place on the 5 – 7 April 2013. Tickets are £19.50 and can be booked either by calling 0191 443 4661, online at www.thesagegateshead.org or in person from The Sage Gateshead’s Ticket Office. A jazz festival pass is available.

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