May 2023
Sun 28: Bradley Creswick's Western Swingfonia @ Whitley Bay Carnival. Free. Plaza Arena stage. 12 noon.
Sun 28: MSK @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 12:15pm. Free. Marquee stage. MSK - Steve Glendinning, Katy Trigger, Martin Douglas.
Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited @ The Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Back Chat Brass @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 1:30pm. Free. Marquee stage.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary's Church, Wooler NE71 6BZ. 3:00pm. £15.00 standard; £5.00 student/unwaged; free under 18. Afternoon Cocktail, a Wooler Summer Arts' concert promotion. Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Back Chat Brass @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 3:00pm. Free. Plaza Arena stage.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 28: King Bees @ The Delaval Arms, Old Hartley NE26 4RL. 5:00pm. Free. Chicago blues at its best!
Sun 28: Matt Anderson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Anderson (saxophones); Jamil Sheriff (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Dave Walsh (drums).
Mon 29: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Tue 30: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 30: Big Chris Barber Band @ Whitley Bay Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Wed 31: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 31: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 31: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 31: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
June
Thu 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 01: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Donations.
Thu 01: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 01: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.
Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: Joseph Carville Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 02: Claire Martin & Her Trio @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £25.00., £20.00. Feat. Jim Mullen, Alex Garnett & Jeremy Brown.
Fri 02: Guy Davis + Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm. Blues double bill.
Fri 02: Anders Ingram @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. Country blues. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
3 comments :
Maybe it would be a good idea on your blog if you asked in some form of poll/whatever why people in the North East have not attended Hoochie Coochie, at least not to the level that the owner expected or required. This would probably help other promoters get an idea of how to maintain, increase and develop the remaining jazz venues. There must be hundreds of "jazz fans" in the North East that read this blog but don't attend venues, they could give you the answer to your questions. Perhaps also, the owner of Hoochie Coochie has not had the financial returns he gets for example, from his "black music" funk/soul nights, someone should have explained that jazz is a minority music and will never succeed on a commercial basis, it never has and never will. By the way, we don't have venues of the pedigree of Ronnie Scott's (which has also struggled over many years, and still is, financially, according to a recent documentary). And the population of London is 10 million, Newcastle around 170,000 with a much lower standard of living, higher unemployment and much less spare cash per capita. If venues are not succeeding in what they do, they are generally either doing it wrong, or it doesn't appeal to enough people in the immediate area. My own opinion is that jazz is mainly a musician's music, and that has been borne out by recent "jam sessions" where attendances have apparently trebled in some cases - and that is probably because the audience contains a significant number of musicians being given the opportunity to play in public, an increasingly rare occurrence these days. So, as I suggested, it would be a good idea to ask people why they didn't go to Hoochie Coochie, or the other venues en masse. Then if the promoters tuned in to the answers, we might start to get somewhere. Alternatively, they can accept that jazz audiences are never going to increase, and then at least the venue owners can contribute their facilities without financial expectation to musicians who like to get out and play.
A very good comment and full of pertinent points although, I must confess that I prefer on such vital issues to be replying to a name rather than an "Anon".
I agree that jazz is a minority music as so many musics are apart from say pop/rock etc. (don't ask me to define etc.!)which is why I think people should support local gigs. Most are free - even higher profile gigs are rarely more than a tenner (apart from The Sage where price doesn't come into it!)
Jam sessions are great although the players make little out of it. Which brings me to mention that, with few exceptions, musicians tend not to support each other's gigs. In my youth - I think Good Queen Bess was on the throne - we hung out to listen to other players and pick up on what they were doing. The greatest academy in the world. Now the kids today have been to music college and graduated and know it all - until they do a gig at say, their local CIU club - back to the drawing board!
But yes, I agree with you. Will you tell us why you don't go to live jazz venues whether it be Hoochie, The Bridge, or any jazz venue. Assuming, by reading this blog, you are a jazz listener. Pref. not Anonymous!
Understand the comment about lower standard of living that's why we made gigs free. It's not news to me that Jazz is a minority music. I noticed this when attending the Jaz Cafe every Friday for years with half a dozen other punters. We paid musicians every week & some weeks we were taking less money @ the bar than paying them. We then have all the usual costs like staff, lighting, heating rent, rate etc. We were not loking to make money from Jazz, just have a good night out & we did have some, as many musicians will testify. Unfortunately though you can't lose money ad infinitum, out of your own pocket, not the taxpayers.
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