Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

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, June 10, 2013

Sue Ferris and Paul Edis Trio @ The Cherry Tree, Jesmond.

Sue Ferris (ten/fl); Paul Edis (pno); Paul Susans (bs); Rob Walker (dms).
(Review by Lance)
A day at the office type gig and none the worse for that. All four musicians were relaxed and worked their way through a tried and tested selection of standards with a couple of jazz classics (Doxy, Blue Bossa) thrown in for good measure.
A nice swingy My Romance set the right groove followed by Taking a Chance on Love. Sue went into orbit on this one with a cracking solo. Just Squeeze Me, Doxy, Alice in Wonderland (on flute) and All the Things You Are to round off the first set.
Sue has a flowing lyricism to her solos. If she'd been born in an earlier age in America she'd have been one of the Four Brothers except it would have had to be the Three Brothers and their Sister which doesn't roll off the tongue quite so well.
Yes the girl did good - who wouldn't do good with the chords Dr. Edis was prescribing? They were heap good medicine and surely an inspiration to anyone who wails in them.
Paul Susans and Rob Walker did the business making this a very tight quartet.
Second set included, On the Sunny Side of the Street, This Can't Be Love, Beautiful Love (flute) and Blue Bossa.
Apart from the music there was, as ever, the food.
Black Pudding, Asparagus Puree, Pea Shoots, Crispy Quail Egg for starters.
Rump Steak - Frites, Garden Salad, Mustard and Winemaker's Butter - my main course
Strawberry Parfait with Shortbread Crumb and Mint Jelly for dessert.
Washed down with a bottle of Black Sheep.
Lance.
PS: Plus good jazz chat with occasional blog contributor Ron Ainsborough and his good lady.
To round off a perfect evening I caught the 33a which linked up with the 27 so it was near enough a door to door trip for me!

2 comments :

Liz said...

Alice in wonderland was one of the numbers played by the jazz combo on the cruise, I just loved it as I hadn't heard it in ages...I meant to look it up for the composer etc, so will do it now!

Lance said...

Bob Hilliard and Sammy Fain wrote a whole lot of numbers both with and without each other.
Hilliard hits included In The Wee Small Hours, Our Day Will Come and the immortal Seven Little girls Sitting in the Back seat!
Fain had on his CV That Old Feeling, Secret Love and Love is a Many Splendored Thing.
I think, for both of them Alice in Wonderland was the musical pinnacle.

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