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Bebop Spoken There

Van Morrison: ''Basically, I'm coming from jazz. Not pop, not rock, not what's commercial. That's where I started, and that's still where I am. I feel the same as I did when I was listening to Louis Armstrong, Lead Belly, Jelly Roll Morton''. (The Northern Echo, 12 June 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

1803759 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 480 of them this year alone and, so far, 58 this month (June 18).

From This Moment On ...

JUNE 2025

Sat 21: Jason Holcomb Jazz Ensemble @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 5:30-7:30pm. Free. A 'Sunderland Year of Music' event.
Sat 21: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 21: Red Kites Jazz @ Staithes Café, Dunston. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Sat 21: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: Phoenix 4 @ Wallington, Northumberland. 12 noon-1:00pm & 2:00-3:00pm. Tel: 01670 773606. National Trust admission prices apply. ‘Tunes in the Blooms’.
Sun 22: Lapwing Trio @ Wallington, Northumberland. 1:00-2:00pm. Tel: 01670 773606. National Trust admission prices apply. ‘Tunes in the Blooms’.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 4:00pm. £18.00. + £1.08 bf.
Sun 22: JazzMain @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 23: MSK Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club (1:00pm). Free.

Tues 24: ???

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: The Magpies of Swing @ The Roxy, Leadgate, Co. Durham. 7:30pm. A Ginger Jitterbugs swing dance event, all welcome.

Thu 26: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Brass Instruments & the use of mutes.

Fri 27: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm.
Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 27: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. ‘Time After Time’.

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

Thursday, June 06, 2013

North East Four (NE4) @ The Star Inn, Newcastle. June 5.

Paul Gowland (ten); Alan Law (pno); Ray Truscott (bs gtr); Paul Wight (dms).
(Review by Lance)
The North East 4, not to be confused with the Birmingham 6, exploded at the Star Inn tonight. This is a new band of four good men and true who played an interesting mix of originals and standards - composed I guess by six string bass guitarist Truscott who wrote the originals and they were original! Standards were Stomping at the Savoy (re-titled Savoy Cabbage and Chick Corea's Spain.)
The opener was loud - I mean Arena volume loud - in the bar of the Star Inn! However, the decibels dropped for the numbers that followed and were at a more acceptable volume as musicians and listeners adjusted to the acoustics. The pieces were quirky with some strange intervals - rather like an Ellington/Strayhorn opus inspired by a trip to the far east.
To quote pianist Law, they don't go where you expect them to go!" The 'Sound of Surprise' is ever with us.
The genre? Jazz Rock, New (ish) Wave, Hard Bop, Brubeckian time signatures (7/4), soulful ballads... 
Paul Gowland is on a roll these days, the ideas flow so (seemingly) effortlessly from the tenor sax - man and machine are as one.
Alan Law, addressed Alan Glenn as did, according to legend, Fats refer to Tatum. "God is in the house tonight."
God was indeed in the house but, on tonight's performance, Alan Law will surely soon graduate to deity status himself.
Truscott proved that he is much more than a bassist - his compositions and his arrangements were intriguing. Paul Wight impressed throughout - his solos, including a 7/4 blast, kept things kicking. NE4 is a welcome addition to the modern scene.
Afterwards, Lindsay Hannon sang My Funny Valentine, Andria, I Got Rhythm and Where or When followed by another of Lindsay's proteges - David - who did Autumn Leaves and All or Nothing at All.
Another good night - all we need are a few more jazzers to get their ass down here to keep it going.
Photos.
Lance.
PS: Next week Katie Trigger.

1 comment :

Anonymous said...

no one plays like alan glen

alan law x

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