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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

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

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Otriad @ Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. May 26 , 2013

Alex Roth (guitar & effects), Joe Wright (tenor saxophone & electronics), Nick Roth (alto saxophone), James Opstad (electric bass) & Simon Roth (drums)
(Review by Russell)
Firebrick, the recently established micro brewery in Blaydon vied for attention on the bar at the Bridge Hotel. A good start to another Splinter at the Bridge Sunday night session! The upstairs room sparsely populated, guitarist and band leader Alex Roth took to the stage with tenor player Joe Wright (earlier pre-occupied setting-up his Apple Mac) and for the next half hour or so the duo painstakingly created a pastoral electro-acoustic soundscape, dissolving, fading, resolved. 
Roth's command of his Gibson was obvious yet he steadfastly refused to play. That is to say he didn't grandstand, not yet. To end the first set Roth's alto-playing brother Nick belatedly joined the band and we got, as they say, something completely different. Nick had something to say, something to get off his chest. Did he blow? You bet! The second set promised much.
Down at the bar things were looking up. The George N Porter Brewery (Whitley Bay) had dropped-off a barrel of Horn. Yep, a beer for the jazz-loving beer drinker (the pump clip sported a composite image of your favourite tenor player). How could one resist? Meanwhile Bebop Spoken Here contributor JC arrived. Any good? he enquired of the band. Hmmm was the reply. We were wanting more. 
We got more, numerically, as the fully-fledged band, the quintet, played the second set. Family Roth produce musicians. The drum chair belonged to Simon Roth. Lovely old kit, north east drummers should have been there, they would surely have drooled over it (hopefully not literally). And Simon could play. So many fabulous drummers. Get to the Bridge - they turn up every other week! Five string electric bassist James Opstad kept things simple or rather made it look deceptively so.
The second set took the form of a suite - the Bielski Suite - written by the band leader, taking as its inspiration the story of the heroic Bielski partisans - the Bielski Otriad - during WWII in occupied Poland. This was the stuff! Cracking playing from all concerned. Tenor and alto horns in unison, then solo. Guitarist Alex let fly. A brilliant technician, a contemporary stylist , fluent ideas, catch this guy next time he's around. Hey JC, this was a contender for this week's Gig of the Year!   
Russell.       
at

1 comment :

Anonymous said...

As I am only too happy to acknowledge that Russell has more extensive knowledge about jazz in his little finger than I have managed to garner over an intermittent career as a fan (so I do hope this wasn't the digit injured in the recent 'incident') I am always interested in his view of what's happening at a gig. Therefore a Hmmmm as an interim review at half time in this gig was a significant pointer, if a little unspecific. However another attendee I met outside the Bridge as I arrived was a bit more enthusiastic, 'Yeah, good, man' he said.
So as I took my seat for the second half with my fairly ordinary pint of Deuchars, my heart sank a bit when the band leader said the second set was going to consist of one continuous piece only.
However, this did not last long as I was instantly intrigued by the story behind the Bielski Suite and as Russell says, this was the business. Great playing and continually engaging music, so much so that I never got to get a second pint as I was not wanting to miss anything.
So double Hmmmm, definitely last week's Gig of the Year!
JC

Thursday, May 30, 2013 11:59:00 pm

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