Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (DownBeat May, 2026)

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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

From This Moment On

May

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Hey Remember This @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 14: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Philip Larkin’s Jazz Experiment.
Thu 14: Jerron Paxton @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb country blues.
Thu 14: Solcade @ the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. 7:00pm. EP launch. Rivkala & co..
Thu 14: Jacob Egglestone @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums) & guests.
Thu 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Monday, April 22, 2013

Red Stripe @ Boston Spa. April 20


Neil "Red" Drinkwater (Keys), Miss Smith (Vcl), John O'Neil (ten sax), Erica Clarke (bar sax), Brant Tills (tpt), Costa (bass gtr), Ed Williams(dms)
(Review by Ray Robson).
"Jazz at the Spa" summed up Red Stripe perfectly as "now for something different" ...not quite in the Monty Python style, but nevertheless a boogie woogie mix of jive, blues, swing & rock & roll. We'd seen these guys before at Lockerbie Jazz Fest, so we were prepared for the party they bring to town ....& boy, do they know how to party ! 
The intro said it all ...Red on keyboard with just drums & guitar backing playing a few quiet bars ..then the back of the hall doors burst open & the brass guys marched through the audience playing at full pitch. We moved on to Caldonia, Rhinestone Mermaid, You Got What You Asked For, Mr Dynamite. Then a little Rock & Roll with a marvelous Blueberry Hill & The Way You Look Tonight. 
The tempo does not slow with Red Stripe ....Bad Wine was followed up by the energetic Shake Shake Boom Boom before Red went all Italian in Renato Carosone's To Vuo Fa L'Americano. Jools Hollands signature tune of Enjoy Yourself followed ...we were too far gone not too by that point ! A blues Honky Tonk Train Blues gave way to the sultry Miss Smith singing Nina Simone's My Baby Just Cares For Me.
The break gave us all a chance to catch our breath, oil out throats & prepare for more......
Louis Prima's Buona Sera then an oh so lively Jump Jive had the girls up dancing in the aisles. Play Time Girl, Mini Bar Blues, Elvis' That's Alright, Route 66.....what next ? We went Latino, with a scintillating Tequilla which included a "conga" like march of all the band around the room while playing.....just time for the bands signature Red Stripe Boogie with audience singing before loud applause from the appreciative audience drew an encore of See You Later Alligator.
Red Stripe are a high octane energy sapping party band that blow you away....they don't just play great music, they thoroughly entertain everyone. Any chance you get to see them live - take it !
Well done yet again to the "Jazz at the Spa" crowd for another great night with a deserved full house.
If you've not been, make the trip any Saturday night ....see http://www.jazzinthespa.co.uk/ for gig list.
Ray Robson
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