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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

Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Matt Forster Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 17: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Jazz Milestones - 1975.
Thu 20: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 20: Orange Claw Hammer + Peony @ The Globe, Newcastle.7:30pm. Orange Claw Hammer play Captain Beefheart.
Thu 20: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Featuring special guest Zoë Gilby.

Fri 21: JazzMain @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 21: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. TBC.
Fri 21: Emma Rawicz w. Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

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.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

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

Friday, April 12, 2013

Jazz Caff Refugees At The Star: April 10: The Budtones


Fiona Littlewood (vocals/tenor sax); Stuart Findon (tenor sax); Mike Papapavlou(guitar);
John Pope (bass); Eric Stutt (drums)
(Review by Ann Alex.)
The band made a good start with a long instrumental (The Message?) with everyone getting a chance to show their metal, tenors doing lovely harmonies together, bell-like guitar, 4’s from the drums, bass doing what basses do, then came Fiona with her second instrument, singing an expressive Straight No Chaser, not the easiest of songs, plenty room for band solos, and a strong ending when she repeated ‘now is the time, now is the time.  
All The Things You Are had the Charlie Parker introduction, I'm told, but unfortunately, during this number Stuart’s tenor became ill and went out of commission, probably a loose spring, so someone suggested to me.  Stuart had to use the other tenor, which must have disrupted the set list, but they still managed well, although the total sound was obviously less full than it would have been.  I suppose this happens to all bands at some time.
You Don't Know What Love Is opened gently with just voice, bass and cymbals, a lovely slow ballad, effective solos, then back to the cymbals at the end. 
Fiona stepped aside for the next number, or so it seemed, but popped back in for some scat singing and then a musical conversation with the sax.  A Stuart Findon original, Stu’s Blues,   (about the poorly sax?) pleasantly tricky, with a cracking drum solo. The final number was Dexter Gordon’s Cheesecake, complete with wolf whistles from guitar, sax solo and more from drums, and a final chorus from Fiona.  Well done, and a gig not without its challenges.
I think I'm finally starting to understand more about bebop and the differences between that and the earlier swing styles.  Bebop is more fragmented, choppy, stop and start but also with long angular themes and solos and I love the endings with drum rolls, tenor squawks, you’re not quite sure when it has ended, quite humorous.  I imagine everyone reading this knew this already, but it’s still relatively new to me, so please bear with me!
The Jam
Heather Jane (vocals); Jeff Smith (tenor sax); Paul Gowland (tenor sax) plus John, Eric, Mike as above.
Heather treated us to an atmospheric Round Midnight, sung well, with lots of space for band solos.  Heather hails from the Lindsay Hannon jazz singing class and she can also be heard at the Chillingham session on Wednesdays, definitely a woman to watch.  Heather followed this with a fast version of Autumn Leaves, with Mike providing falling leaf sort of sounds at the end.  An instrumental rounded off an enjoyable evening, Au Privave, played by guitar, tenor, bass and drums. 
Ann Alex    

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