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Bebop Spoken There

Xhosa Cole: ''Monk was unapologetically himself". (Jazzwise, 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

17744 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 64 of them this year alone and, so far, 64 this month (Jan. 26).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 12 noon-2:00pm (two sets). £12.00. admission (card or cash at the door). Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums). Note change of venue, no longer at Mrs M’s as advertised, the concert will be in the Old Library (Bishop Auckland Jazz’s regular venue). Important! It’s a ‘BYOB’ arrangement - ie bring your own booze (and/or tea, coffee, soft drinks).
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Café Orkestar @ Café Under the Spire, Gateshead. 6:00pm. ‘Klezmer, Gypsy Jazz, Balkan & More!’.
Fri 31: Nothing in Rambling @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £10.00. + bf. Country blues duo.
Fri 31 Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Wylam Institute. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. + £1.50. bf.
Fri 31: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £10.00 + bf. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.
Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00 Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 31: SwanNek + Rivkala @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. SwanNek’s new single launch gig. Pilgrim, formerly Hoochie Coochie.
Fri 31: King Bees @ Blues Underground; Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.

February 2025

Sat 01: Alan Barnes & John Hallam with the Tom Kincaid Trio @ 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 - Cy Coleman’s Witchcraft. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Darling Dollies @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Vocal trio.
Sat 01: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 01: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: Rockin’ Turner Brothers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Western swing etc.

Sun 02: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 02: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 02: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free (donations).
Sun 02: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 02: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:15-7:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 02: Jive Aces @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Sun 02: John Pope + Andy Champion + Ian Paterson @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. ‘Subterranean Explorations 1’. Three (half hour) solo bass sets.
Sun 02: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 03: Andy Watt & Dan Rogers @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance. Jazz, blues, folk etc.
Mon 03: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 04: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.
Tue 04: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Phillips, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.
Tue 04: Dilutey Juice + Life Aquatics Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Wed 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 05: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 05: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

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

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Big Bash at the Black Swan.

Mo Scott (vcl); Paul Edis (pno)/Strictly Smokin' Big Band led by Michael Lamb/Hannabiell and Midnight Blue/Jenni Pascoe; Steve Urwin; Scott Tyrell (poets).Swing Tyne (dancers)/Serena Cee (dj).
(Review by Lance.)
The Black Swan Bar was doing good business, the amphitheatre of Newcastle Arts Centre was running out of chairs, the committee members of the Pink Lane Jazz Co-op were smiling  and Jenni Pascoe was poetically asking Who Am I?
This was the PLJC's Big Bash designed to raise funds and awareness of the group's efforts to re-open the Jazz Café. To this end, Dave Parker gave a progress report* before handing over to MC for the evening Big Joe Fowler.
.After Ms. Pascoe, Big Joe brought on Steve Urwin who is also a poet and, in fact, Pascoe's "other half". Urwin's contribution included a cleverly worded poem entitled The Bin Truck describing the contents of a Bin Truck - you couldn't get much further away from being compared to a Summer's day!
The poets having had their say - for the time being - Big Joe Fowler, who isn't a blues singer, introduced Mo Scott who is a blues singer.
Mo, in tandem with pianist Paul Edis, gave us a selection of blues tinged gassers opening up with that grammatical classic Is You Is or Is You Ain't my Baby? This was the first time the duo had performed in public together and it worked beautifully. Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You?, Come Rain or Come Shine, But Beautiful, Don't Explain just some of the numbers that saw the empathy grow between the two as the set unfolded. Edis also had a solo feature that ticked plenty boxes - Bill Evan's arrangement of My Foolish Heart.
On the dance floor a couple of Swing Tyne dancers moved gracefully to the music. This was one of those occasions when one art complemented another.
Another art returned with Scott Tyrell reading his poem about the Angel of the North. Tyrell isn't just a poet he's also a master of stand-up
Next up a scaled down version of the Strictly Smokin' Big Band. 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, 3 saxes, 4 rhythm, 1 vocalist.
The band really were smokin' - they were on fire! Even this minimal version exuded power. Leader Michael Lamb blew some fine trumpet and Alex Leathard excelled in his trombone feature, I Got Rhythm.Newcomer, altoist, Steve Summers (also heard yesterday with Saxophonics) came down front to solo on Do Nothing Till You Hear From me but suffered from inadequate amplification. What we did hear sounded good. A similar fate fell to tenorman Paul Gowland (also heard on Wednesday at the Star) with his dual tempo Body and Soul.
James Hedley sang Feeling Good, the Dean Martin classic, Ain't That a Kick in the Head? and Oasis' Wonderwall.
By now the dancers really were crowding the floor and the final band, Hannabiell and Midnight Blue gave them rhythm-a-plenty with Hannabiell playing conga and lustily blowing bass trombone. Paul Ruddick played alto and flute and Mick Wright was on guitar.
The perfect end to an exhausting evening!
Lance.
Kaveh Emami photos..
*To donate, volunteer or become a member of the Pink Lance Jazz Co-op go to www.pinklanejazz.co.uk.

3 comments :

Bruce said...

Thanks Lance. Glad you enjoyed it. Great evening! Bruce

Val (on F/b) said...

I'm glad it went well Lance, I came down with a nasty bug and could'nt go

Lance said...

It was superb and a great venue.

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