Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: ?

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Jamie McCredie @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. THIS WEEK ONLY JAMES BIRKETT (guitar)!
Fri 28: Luis Verde Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Knats @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.50. (inc bf.). Album launch gig. Support act TBC.
Fri 28: Black is the Color of My Voice @ The Gala, Durham. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, performed by Florence Odumosu.
Fri 28: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival: Musicians Unlimited @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. £10.00. (Weekend ticket £20.00., available on the door). Day 1/3. Musicians Unlimited in concert.
Fri 28: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

MARCH 2025

Sat 01: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 11:00am. £15.00. Day 2/3.
Sat 01: TJ Johnson Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Get your funk on! Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ The Watch House, Cullercoats. 2:00-3:30pm. Free.
Sat 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers. Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Struggle Buggy @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Blues band.
Sat 01: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: Jack & Jay’s Vintage Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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, March 20, 2013

Sean Noonan’s Bavarian Trio @ The Bridge Hotel. March 19, 2013

Sean Noonan (drums, vocals & kitsch kilt), Norbert Burger (guitar) & Harry Saltzman (tenor saxophone)
(Review by Russell).
Jazz North East invited Brooklyn, NYC drummer Sean Noonan to make another visit to Newcastle, this time in the company of two lederhosen-clad improvisers, to regale us with more of his fantastical tales from the Weird World of Noonan.
The Hub first unleashed their power-trio punk-jazz on an unsuspecting Tyneside public a decade or so ago and Noonan has retained the band’s razor sharp thrash-jazz chops in his latest venture. Noonan went down to the (Bavarian) woods and found to his surprise two like-minded weirdos keen to make a noise, a big noise. And now they are on tour. Noonan is forever on the road, in part to escape the unwelcome advances of a drunkard of a landlady back home (that’s another story and Noonan will, no doubt, tell it again one day), writing and recording new material as he goes.
One senses it is the journey, not the getting there (wherever there is), that motivates Noonan. As Downtown Middleweight Champ, Noonan strode onto stage, head covered by a shimmering, hooded boxing cape, sporting a camouflage-patterned kilt. Is Noonan the Jeff Koons of NYC avant jazz? Kitsch comes easy to him – cape, boxer’s vest, kilt, bunny rabbit ears close at hand, a shrine to King Ludwig. Yes, welcome to the Weird World of Noonan. But can he play? You bet! And what of his new-found friends Burger and Saltzman?
Guitarist Norbert Burger looked positively normal (lederhosen aside!) - straight rather than cool. Being the former made him positively cool. Could he play? And some! Rockabilly, r’n’b, polka, waltz, louche lounge jazz swing, ska, Frisell, Wilko Johnson and more, so much more. Saltzman? He’s in the Weirdo Club…good on him! Big (imagine him chopping firewood in the back woods), bald with big, comedy stick-on beard (it was real!) and lederhosen. Big sound, sight-reading the newer material and as tight as could be. All three were the tightest of tight.
Noonan began with an old favourite – The Legend of John Henry – and followed it with more recent tunes (instant hits!) including The Reincarnation of Several Hammers, Forced Meatballs, Pocket Bones, Na Connery’s and the true story of King Ludwig. Noonan’s compositions allowed for improvised break-out sections incorporating innumerable time signatures, myriad stylistic references, all the while respecting the convention of returning to the head. Frequently hilarious, frequently brilliant, this was a roller-coaster of a show.
Jazz North East’s next concert is a co-promotion with Splinter at the Bridge on Sunday 24 March at the Bridge Hotel featuring Compassionate Dictatorship.
Russell.                                 

No comments :

Blog Archive