December
Thu 12: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £27.00. (inc. three -course meal).
Thu 12: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:00-6:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Thu 12: Stuart Turner @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 12: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. Guests: Jeremy McMurray (keys); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Donna Hewitt (tenor sax); Kevin Eland (trumpet); Ron Smith (bass).
Fri 13: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Bellavana @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Customs House Big Band @ Stocksfield Community Association. 7:00pm. Featuring Ruth Lambert.
Fri 13: Paul Edis & Friends: A Jazzy Xmas @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Fri 13: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £19.00. + bf. First night of two.
Fri 13: Ransom Van @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 13: Boys of Brass @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 9:00pm. £10.00.
Sat 14: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:15pm. Free but ticketed.
Sat 14: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm.
Sat 14: Red Kites Jazz @ Staiths Café, Autumn Dr., Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 14 Lapwing Jazz Trio @ Three Sheets to the Wind, Alnwick. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 14: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £19.00. + bf. Second night of two.
Sat 14: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 15: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 12 noon. £8.50. Xmas party feat. Musicians Unlimited + Customs House Big Band. SOLD OUT!
Sun 15: Paul Edis & Friends: A Jazzy Xmas @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 2:00pm.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Mitch Laddie Band @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Superb blues power trio.
Sun 15: Leeway @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 15: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Paul Edis & Friends: A Jazzy Xmas @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.
Sun 15: Alligator Gumbo @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Mon 16: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 12 noon. £9.95. ‘Festive Turkey Dinner’. Book now: 0191 266 8137.
Mon 16: Paul Edis & Friends: A Jazzy Xmas @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Tue 17: Paul Edis & Friends: A Jazzy Xmas @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm.
Tue 17: BBC Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘A Swinging Xmas’.
Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.
Tue 17: Bellavana @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 7:45-9:35pm. Free.
Wed 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 18: Hot Club of Heaton @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘third Wednesday in the month’ session.
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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