Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: ''It was then that Coltrane came along and single-handedly brought this dimension of spirituality into jazz. It was a pivotal experience to me.'' (DownBeat September, 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

19,012 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 876 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 16) 55.

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

October.

Sat 17: SunOrbitUs @ Culture House, Sunderland. 11:00am - 5:00pm. Closing event in a year-long piece of music. 11:00am-1:00pm Improvisation workshop w. Faye MacCalman; 2:00-5:00pm Collective Improvised Performance by Sunderland residents. SOLD OUT!
Sat 17: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 17: Martin Taylor @ Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £48.72; £43.37. Solo guitar. SOLD OUT!

Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Jump jive.
Sun 18: Guisborough Big Band @ Redcar Rugby Club. 5:00-8:00pm. ‘Charity Big Band Birthday Bash’ in aid of Parkinson’s UK & Young Sounds UK. Free (donations on the door).
Sun 18: Martin Taylor @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £23.30. Solo guitar.
Sun 18: Ben Crosland Quartet with Steve Waterman @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 19: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Pete Tanton (trumpet, flugelhorn).
Tue 20: Graham Hardy’s Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Head, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Tickets from Tully’s, Rothbury. Coquetdale Jazz. Note change of venue.
Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, Scotty Adair.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 21: FILM: Blue Moon @ Washington Arts Centre. 1:00pm. £4.50 (inc. bf). Biopic of lyricist Lorenz Hart.
Wed 21: De'Sean Jones’ Urban Art Orchestra @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.; £5.00. student, unwaged; free to Mercury Awards ticket holders. De'Sean Jones (tenor sax, EWI); Tjoe Man Cheung (guitar); Mikele Montolli (double bass) + others TBA.
Wed 21: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 21: Roby Glod-Steve Sewell Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Thu 22: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 22: Mercury Prize @ Utility Arena Newcastle. 8:00pm. £60.25.; £48.75. Line-up inc. Knats.
Thu 22: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bandstand!, Exhibition Park, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.20 (inc. bf) via Instagram. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Thu 22: Olly Styles Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.75.

Fri 23: Sara Oschlag w. Arnie Somogyi Trio @ The Lit & Phil. 1:00pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); John Hirst (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 23: Maja Bugge & Dave Evans @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Fri 23: Knats @ King Street Social Club, North Shields. 7:00pm. £17.00., £14.70., £11.30., £5.50. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.
Fri 23: Sara Oschlag & Arnie Somogyi w. Ben Lawrence @ Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); Arnie Somogyi (double bass).
Fri 23: Ronnie Scott’s Soho Songbook @ Redhills, Durham. 8:00pm. James Pearson (piano); Sam Burgess (double bass); Chris Higginbottom (drums); Alex Garnett (sax); Polly Gibbons (vocals). Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: SwanNek + Jacob Egglestone @ Fabio’s Bar, Durham. 9:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

More Memories of Sheila from Brian Bennett.

Back in the mid 70's, VCJ bass player Brian Sibbald and myself played in a band called The St Louis Jazzmen. We had a weekly residency at a sea-front pub in Whitley Bay called The Granby - long since renamed 42nd Street. Sheila Giles and her friends, bass player/pianist, Brian Fisher, along with legendary local jazz pianist, Peter Jacobsen, would occasionally call in for a drink and a sit-in. One of the numbers Sheila would sing was 'I've got Ford engine movements in my hips' - a great song well suited to Sheila's lusty vocal style - the band for obvious reasons thought it was great.
Many years later around 2004, I received a phone call from Sheila who had recently moved back 'up North' and had bought a property in the Dinnington/Prestwick area of Wideopen - a locality she knew well as she had lived there for quite some time with her former husband, artist David Hinge. She complained that she hadn't been able to 'settle' and was unhappy with her surroundings and location and that she wanted "out of here as soon as possible". She also complained about health issues at that time. Shortly afterwards, she moved 'down South' and I lost touch with her.
By coincidence, and shortly after Sheila had moved out of the area, the Vieux Carré Jazzmen were booked to play at a reunion party in The Park Hotel, Tynemouth, for a 1950's theatre troupe called 'The Merry Magpies'. The troupe comprised singers, musicians, dancers and comedians and one of the comics had been local legend, Bobby Thompson. Bobby had passed away in 1989 and was represented by his son, Keith, who gave a speech and told many humourous anecdotes about his father. Also there, was Sheila Giles' ex husband, David Hinge. David's family were the owners of the 'Hinge Circuit' a chain of cinemas and theatres located around the north east, many of which the Merry Magpies had performed in.
David kindly gave me several old photographs and one of them shows Sheila at home with family and friends for a Christmas celebration sometime in the late 1950's or early 1960's. Sheila, wearing her trademark spec's is seated on the right. Unfortunately, I can't identify David - I seem to recall, tho, he had a beard and moustache when I met him last.
Photos.
Previous Sheila Giles post and comments. Brian Bennett
at

2 comments :

Colin Aitchison said...

Hi Brian,
I remember The Granby, and do remember Brian Fisher & Peter Jacobson dropping in now and then. I see on the photo you have Martin Simon right hand bottom corner, and the cornet player was a brass band guy called, I think "Biff" that was his nick name, all I can remember about him, is that he did not like anyone on his turf!!! happy memories..
Colin Aitchison
Hong Kong.

Saturday, August 10, 2013 12:14:00 pm
Colin Aitchison said...

Hi Lance,
On Sheila Giles, so sorry to hear of her passing, I remember her when I was very young, she sang quite a while with Ronnie MaClean & The All Stars at The New Orleans Jazz Club, Forth Banks, she had such a stage presence and a aura around her,that as a young kid, I never new what to say, when she asked me something, just used to clam up.
To the Bessie Smith of The North East may she R.I.P.

Saturday, August 10, 2013 12:17:00 pm

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive