Bebop Spoken There

Jools Holland (on his 2026 spring/summer tour): ''With the mighty [R&B] Orchestra, our wonderful boogie woogie singers, and the brilliant Joe Webb opening the shows [including Darlington Hippodrome, June 19], we're in for some very special evenings of music.'' The Northern Echo February 5, 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

18263 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 117 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 6), 17

From This Moment On ...

February

Sat 07: The Big Easy @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. St Thomas & Bésame Mucho. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Side Cafe Oᴙkestar @ Café Under the Spire, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Table reservations: 0191 477 3970.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Swing Tyne @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Donations. Swing dance taster class (12:30pm) + Hot Club de Heaton (live performance). Non dancers welcome.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 09: Mark Williams Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington.. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 12: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 13: Noel Dennis Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00. Dennis (trumpet, flugelhorn); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 13: Joe Steels @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 13: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm.
Fri 13: Tom Remon & John Moriarty @ The Ship Isis, Silksworth Row, Sunderland SR1 3QJ. 7:00pm. £10.00 + £1.00 bf.

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, July 31, 2013

CD Review: Resonance - Introductions

Stephen McQuarry (pno/ldr/comp); Georgianna Kreiger (saxes); Ted Burik (bs); Greg German (dms); Laura Austin Wiley (vcl/fl/picc); Nancy Bien (cello); Michelle Mastin (vla); Michelle Walther (vln).
(Review by Lance).
An intriguing disc! Not quite sure how to categorise it - lift music it ain't! It's contemporary for sure. It straddles a lot of borders - jazz, classical, popular and maybe others.
The strength of the album lies in the compositions and arrangements of pianist McQuarry. The instrumentation combines a jazz quartet with a string trio plus flautist/vocalist Wiley.. With all these permutations at hand no wonder McQuarry came up with a near unique sound. If these three guys and five gals had been bigger names reviewers may have compared them to Miles' 1949 Nonet. I won't go that far 'cept to say that McQuarry has a future in both composition and arranging. He plays fine piano too!
Kreiger blows some lovely baritone on Sentimental Mood and Wiley's fluting is up there. Nice voice too and I don't use 'nice' in a condescending manner - it is nice, a cool drink on a hot day.  Walther fiddles frantically on So What where Kreiger has another great blast (Cantaloupe Island was in there somewhere)..
Eleanor Rigby has hints of the Beatles in the string writing. and the horns play an almost fugue-like take on the melody with McQuarry's solo the icing.
But how's about this - Gustav Holst's Jupiter from the Planets Suite is also in there! This just happened to be the school hymn of my seat of learning - Jarrow Central School - it brought a tear to my eye (no it didn't ) I really wanted them to kick the tune around like the teachers kicked around my inability to absorb Pythagoras' theory - pies weren't square they were round in our household. They didn't kick it around they showed respect which is what, maybe, I should have done!
The music grows on you like a first meeting. Should you see him/her again. You see him/her again and think, hey this is ok and somewhere down the line you're married.
I'm not suggesting this CD will take you to the musical altar but you will enjoy the dalliance.
Resonance - Introductions hits the streets on August 6 on Mandala Records.
Lance.
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