Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

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, March 18, 2013

CAPSTONE THEATRE TO HOST JAZZ NORTH’S FIRST NORTHERN LINE SHOWCASE

Fresh from the success of the recent Liverpool International Jazz Festival, Liverpool’s Capstone Theatre has been handpicked by Jazz North to host the first Northern Line Showcase. On Monday 25th March, The Capstone will be the place to catch the most vibrant jazz bands from the Northern jazz scene as ACV, Billy Moon, Engine Room Favourites and Jamil Sheriff Trio, four exciting jazz artists from Jazz North’s Northern Line rostra, will take to the stage to challenge the perceptions of contemporary UK Jazz.
Jazz North is a consortium of experienced delivery organisations and individuals who will build a new northern jazz delivery model, based on collective partnerships.  The new agency supports the existing jazz sector across the North and will lead the development of both art form and audiences across the three regions North West, Yorkshire and North East.
Showcasing at the Capstone Theatre are…
Billy Moon is the latest incarnation of the musical partnership between pianist Matthew Bourne and vocalistSeaming To. A project that is still in its infancy, Billy Moon is the latest vehicle for the exploration of evolving compositional ideas and this performance will provide a chance to hear Billy Moon in a very intimate duo formation.
Jamil Sherrif Trio was formed in 2012 and is the result of a long-time musical collaboration between Jamil Sheriff, Dave Walsh and Pete Turner.  Their repertoire is mostly original compositions with some arrangements and their unique style has a contemporary flavour with a focus on improvisation and interplay.
Bassist Andy Champion launched his quintet ACV in 2009, to play compositions reflecting his wide musical interests, drawing on influences as diverse as progressive rock and free improvisation with jazz always at the core. The result is a distinctive band sound and identity, where tight arrangements are peppered with insistent, rhythmic unison passages and ferocity, but also with more introspective moments, always melodic and direct.
Engine Room Favorites are not post-modernists  not retro stylists, but instead keep their eyes and ears firmly on a forward path jazz might have taken in the next period, but never quite did. The band’s aesthetic harks back to sopranino Martin Archer’s  earliest experience in creative music, as a follower of the AACM school of music pioneered by Art Ensemble of Chicago, Leo Smith, and Anthony Braxton. This is a style which has never been really followed up by European musicians, nevertheless it remains the model for Archer's contributions to jazz based music.
With an impressive number of venerable performers already taken to its stage, the success of the Liverpool International Jazz Festival and now the venue of choice for this exclusive Jazz showcase, The Capstone Theatre further  cements its position as Liverpool’s leading venue for cutting edge jazz and world music. 
More information can be found on www.jazznorth.org.
More information can be found on www.thecapstonetheatre.com
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Listing Information

Jazz North Present: Northern Line Showcase
Monday 25th March 2013
Time: 7pm
Tickets: £5

The Capstone TheatreShaw Street,
Liverpool
L6 1HP
HOW TO BOOK
In person: TicketQuarter, Mersey Travel Centre, Queen Square, Liverpool, L1 1RG.
Ticket Quarter Box Office: 0844 8000 410*or online at www.thecapstonetheatre.com*

*Subject to booking fee.


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