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

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: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 30: Pete Roth Trio @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Feat. Bill Bruford.
Fri 30: Jive Aces @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Fri 30: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Northern Edge Coffee, Silver St., Berwick. 7:00pm.
Fri 30: Dan Coulthurst Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00 + £1.00. bf (www.wegottickets.com). Coulthurst (trumpet); Joel Steadman (bass clarinet, flute); Nico Widdowson (piano); Fergus Quill (double bass); Theo Goss (drums).

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.

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

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Headhunters descend on Under The Bridge for their only UK date in 2013 25th April 2013, 7PM Under the Bridge, Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS


Although some 300 miles away from our normal stomping ground I think a lot of our regulars may be interested in the sole UK appearance of The Headhunters. - particularly those interested in some of the more peripheral  forms of contemporary jazz.
Read what Dom Christopher has to say about the gig...
Lance.
Legendary pianist Herbie Hancock’s renowned backing band, The Headhunters, will play their first gig in the UK for over two years when they come to state-of-the-art West London venue Under The Bridge this April.

First assembled in 1973 the band marked a notable change in musical direction for Hancock. The subsequent 1973 album ‘Headhunters’ is the first album to garner gold status in jazz history. Following the release of ‘Head Hunters’ the band toured and recorded for several years with Hancock, releasing the masterpieces Thrust (1974), Flood (1975), and Manchild (1975).  In 1976 the Headhunters ventured out on their own, recording the classic Survival Of The Fittest, followed by Straight to the Gate (1978), Return of the Headhunters (1998), and Evolution Revolution in 2003. Last year the band released Platinum, an album that bridges genres and generations, deftly switching between Hip-Hop, Jazz, Funk, Rap and R&B, and featuring guest appearances from the likes of Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, and Killah Priest.
Featuring original members Mike Clark (drums) and Bill Summers (percussion), the current incarnation is completed by Reggie Washington on bass, Rob Dixon on tenor sax and Rob Bargad on the keys.
Spanning the globe from Africa to Broadway, The Headhunters' music is a complex but harmonious blend of many styles and genres. From the instant funk classic “Chameleon” to the rare-groove sound of “God Make Me Funky”, one of the most sampled jazz/fusion songs in modern music history, the Headhunters have redefined modern funk, world music, and jazz as one of the most innovative groups of all time.
Dom Christophers

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

"The subsequent 1973 album ‘Headhunters’ is the first album to garner gold status in jazz history".
I don't think that's right, "Bitches Brew" by Miles Davis got gold a year after its released in 1970 and "Time Out" by Brubeck before that in 1959. Also it seems the first ever gold record was by Glen Miller: Chattanooga Choo Choo in 1942.

Pierre

Lance said...

Yes I too found this questionable. Getz/Gilberto also preceded Headhunters.

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