Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18395 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 259 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 30 ), 69

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

March

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). Free. Chicago blues.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

CD Review: Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette - Somewhere.

Keith Jarrett (pno); Gary Peacock (bs); Jack De Johnette (dms).
Pick out your three faves to form a trio and, maybe, this could be it. Request that they play from the good old GAsbook and your dream has come true!
Listening to Jarrett playing Stars Fell on Alabama brings to mind Eddie Condon's famous quote on hearing Bix for the first time - you know the one - "the sound came out like a girl saying yes". That is how powerful this, and the other standards, are on this disc recorded back in 2009 at a concert in Lucerne, Switzerland as part of his "Standards Tour".
Give Jarrett, or indeed any musician of his standing, tunes like this to work on and it simply blows away the boring as bread originals musicians produce to avoid paying royalties to long dead composer's estates! 
Jarrett, to me, fills that niche between (not The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea which he does brilliantly here) but the middle ground twixt Peterson and Evans. Jarrett has drawn from both and threw in his own two bits to make this a most enjoyable CD.
Peacock and DeJohnette couldn't be bettered - they're with the main man all the way.
And just in case you think that jazz people have done all there is to be done with West Side Story listen to what these guys do with Somewhere and Tonight!
The album finishes with I Thought About You and I thought about this album a lot - it's a contender!
Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette - Somewhere. ECM 2766370. Available May 27, 2013.
Lance.

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