Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 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

18799 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 663 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 12) 32.

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

August

Sat 15: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 15: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £16.26.

Sun 16: Vintage Explosion @ Cliffe Park, Roker, Sunderland SR6 8DB. 5:00-10:30pm. £44.00 (inc. bf).

Mon 17: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 20: Edson Angus Quartet @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 20: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 21: Andrzej Baranek Trio @ The Lit & Phil. 1:00pm. £8.00. Andrzej Baranek (piano); Josh Cavanagh-Brierley (double bass); Dave Walsh (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: David Gray Flextet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 21: Errol Linton & His Band + Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. Excellent blues double bill.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Pete Gilligan and Friends/Zoe Gilby @ Hoochie Coochie, May 30.

Pete Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Steve Glendinning (gtr); Rob Walker (dms). Zoe Gilby (vcl) + Eric Stutt(dms).
(Review by Lance.)
The quartet opened the batting with C Jam Blues and it was immediately apparent that they were on fire for this, the final Thursday night jazz session at Hoochie.. Unfair to single out any one person as they all went for it each one managing to say something just a little different on the old warhorse. Even the fours seemed to have meaning.
Horace Silver features heavily in the Gilligan repertoire and tonight it included Opus de Funk and the delightful Summer in Central Park.
The crowd built up and by the second set the room was near full. One wondered where were these people every week?
The special guest tonight was Zoe Gilby - looking like a million dollars in a black sequined mini dress.
Zoe may have looked like a million dollars but the voice was priceless - maybe the national debt would just about meet the valuation.
Away from her regular band, she delved into her back catalogue choosing many numbers I first heard her sing back in the old days at the Side Café but my how the voice, the stage presence, the confidence has grown since then almost as if they were two different people and she was good back then.
All or Nothing at All, Comes Love, You Turned the Tables on Me (Eric Stutt on drums for this one), How Insensitive, a version of My Secret Love that trumped all other versions, You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To, God Bless the Child and Forget About Living. The latter number is, I think, one of Dave Frischberg's and an absolute hoot. Tonight, after the final line, - "Forget about living, you might as well be dead" - Zoe then went into the opening strains of the Dead March which brought the place down.
Zoe hosted the first Thursday back in August 2011 and it was perhaps appropriate that she should sound the death knell on what has been a rollercoaster ride for almost 2 years. Our girl has gigs in China and Ukraine - on this performance they'll want to keep her!
Jazz hasn't entirely disappeared from the menu - Azymuth are at Hoochie on June 16..
Lance.

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