May
Sun 31: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 31: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 31: Sinfonia of London: Tea Dance @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 3:00pm. Free. John Wilson ensemble performing on the concourse. Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George & Ira Gershwin & more.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76.
Sun 31: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 31: Ben Haskins Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00.
June
Mon 01: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 01: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Mon 01: CW Stoneking @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Blues, Americana.
Tue 02: Mark Williams Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00.
Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.
Tue 02: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 03: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 04: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 04: Postmodern Jukebox @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Thu 04: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 04: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Fri 05: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 05: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 05-Thu 11: FILM: Köln 75 @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. Dir. Ido Fluk. Drama based on the true story of Keith Jarrett’s 1975 concert in Cologne. Screenings TBC.
Fri 05: Pete Tanton & Alan Law @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 05: House of the Black Gardenia: Summer Tyne Swing Festival @ Northumbria University Students’ Union, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £130.00; £95.00; £70.00; £50.00. Note: all day dance event (classes & socials). House of the Black Gardenia evening performance. Day 1/3.
Fri 05: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band + IKS Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £24.00. Big band double bill. IKS Big Band (Germany).
Fri 05: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 06: Struggle Buggy @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 06: Teresa Watson Band @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 06: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Dry Water Arts, Amble. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £15.00.
Sat 06: IKS Big Band: Summer Tyne Swing Festival @ Northumbria University Students’ Union, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £130.00; £95.00; £70.00; £50.00. Note: all day dance event (classes & socials). IKS Big Band evening performance. Day 2/3.
Sat 06: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Northumbrian Revival, West Benridge Farm, nr. Morpeth NE61 3RZ. 7:30-9:30pm. £21.47 (£2.77. child). 82nd D-Day anniversary event.
Sat 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 06: FILM: The Magic City: Birmingham According to Sun Ra @ The Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. 9:30pm. £7.00., £5.00. Dir. Guillaume Maupin & Pablo Guarise.
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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