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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

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.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. 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

Monday, May 27, 2013

CD Review: Moss Project: What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes?

Moss Freed (composer, bandleader, guitar); Ruth Goller (acoustic/electric bass); Alice Zawadzki (vocals/violin); Shabaka Hutchings (tenor sax/bass clarinet); Marek Dorcik (drums)
The writers: Naomi Alderman (The Bubble); Colum McCann (Anniversary); James Miller (What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes); Lawrence Norfolk (Caravans); Joe Dunthorne (Freud And Jung In The Tunnel Of Love); Hanan al-Shaykh (The Angel)
(Review by Ann Alex.)
This started out as a CD of original compositions which developed into a whole project which involves an attractive booklet with writing by distinguished modern authors and skilled evocative artwork by Aaron Munday.  To get the most enjoyment out of this work, it would be a good idea to set aside 2 hours to read the stories and poem, besides listening to the music.  Or why not do as I did, and listen to the music and readings at the same time?  LondonJazzNews was lucky enough to be at the launch on March 6, which involved a live performance – see www.mossfreed.com for an account of that, where you can also hear the writing read out by the authors.  Another listener that I consulted, who is an ardent jazz fan, said that he actually enjoyed reading the booklet more than the music, so it seems that you pays your money and you takes your choice!
The music is highly impressionistic and lies somewhere between jazz and contemporary folk, with lots of wordless sweet-voiced singing, skilled musicianship, (goes without saying).  The music doesn’t describe the stories exactly but is near enough to make sense of the two together.  You'll find lots of long sweeps of sound, percussive beats repeated by the voice, ethereal sounds, sometimes an intriguing ‘free’ jazz feel, an organised cacophony, with a few jazz solos as such.  Hard to describe, you must hear it for yourself.
The Bubble is an amusing tale of a woman with a bubble inside herself and the music is full of bouncy rhythm.  The author reads in a refreshing down to earth voice, none of that special ‘poetical’ voice adopted by some readers of poems. Anniversary is a more serious tale of a woman in church, and What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes is about a woman trying to get to sleep, but really much more than that. Caravans concerns pub quizzes and friendship, and I had difficulty in understanding the poem about Freud and Jung.  The Angel was definitely my favourite piece of writing, a heartwarming but unsentimental story about a heroin addict, with a surprise ending, well matched by the music.
An enjoyable multi-faceted experience, a CD which should probably be listened to more than once.
Released on the Babel Label, catalogue number BDV131114

Ann Alex 

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