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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 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

17904 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 225 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (March 24).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Fri 28: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00 SOLD OUT!.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
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: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm.
Fri 28: Sue Ferris Quintet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £10.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 28: Mostly Moonlight @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 28: Juliana Day & Manon McCoy @ Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00.; £10.00. advance. JNE.

Sat 29: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 29: Doris Day Story @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Sat 29: Squabble! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 30: Jan Spencelayh & Dave Archbold @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 30: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

APRIL 2025

Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Mark Robertson.
Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 02: Lauren Bush: The Jazz Singer’s Toolkit @ The Pele, Corbridge. 1:00-4:00pm. Vocalist Lauren Bush with pianist Jamil Sheriff presents a jazz singing workshop. £40.00. (inc. evening concert, see below). Registration required for workshop: www.laurenbushjazz.com. All ability levels welcome.
Wed 02: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 02: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 02: Lauren Bush & Jamil Sheriff @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00-9:00pm. £10.00. Concert performance. Tickets: www.laurenbushjazz.com.
Wed 02: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 02: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. POSSIBLE CANCELLATION. See website for updates: www.theglobenewcastle.bar.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

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

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

CD Review: Ira Wiggins - When Freedom Swings.

Ira Wiggins (ten/fl); Cyrus Chestnut (pno - 8 tracks); Ed Paulantonio (pno - 4 tracks); Baron Tymas (gtr 4 tracks); Joe Metzger (vbs/mar - 4 tracks); Alvester Garnett (dms - 7 tracks); Thomas Taylor (dms - 5 tracks); Herman Burney (bs); Mavis "Swan" Poole (vcl - 2 tracks).
(Review by Lance).
Ira Wiggins, Director of Jazz Studies at North Carolina Central University, has shared the stage with such luminaries as Jimmy Heath, Grady Tate, Fred Wesley, Louis Bellson, Nneenna Freelon and Branford Marsalis but, after 15 albums as soloist and sideman, this is his first outing on record as leader and he seizes the moment with both hands in the course of this most delightful double CD.
The first disc comprises mainly originals by Wiggins and displays his warm tenor sound.inspired, he claims, by Jimmy Heath as well as his Moody-like fluting. The two non-originals are the Stylistics' People Make the World Go Round and Joe Henderson's Inner Urge - the latter features Mavis "Swan" Poole doing a nifty vocalese. Mavis is also heard on the bluesy title track When Freedom Swings.. 
Disc 2 has Killer Joe, In a Sentimental Mood, Bloomdido, Cherokee, Christmastime is Here and Gene Ammons' Red Top. On all but the last number, Wiggins plays flute in a quartet setting where the influence of James Moody is ever present although he also acknowledges Hubert Laws along the way. which isn't a bad place to be. On Red Top  he displays a gutsy feel reminiscent of the composer.
Other moments to savour are Chestnut's piano work. In 2005 Time Magazine described him as "The best jazz pianist of his generation" - an accolade that still holds true.
In an age when so much contemporary jazz comes across as Anti-swing a disc like this restores my faith in the music. 
To quote from the booklet notes: "When Freedom Swings represents a philosophy asserting that jazz is a musical art form that perfectly describes the ideals of democracy. Many authorities agree that freedom is best expressed and realized within boundaries. Therefore, it may be noted that within the framework of a jazz piece, (melody, harmony and form), freedom is realized in the collective creative improvisational process of a group of musicians simultaneously contributing to the composition within the boundaries, or occasionally, expanding or stepping outside of a domain."
Ira Wiggins - When Freedom Swings was released on May 28 on IWIGGS Music, inc.
Lance.

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