Bebop Spoken There

Ethan Hawke (starring as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon): ''Larry [Lorenz] Hart would be so happy that his music and his words and his poetry are still alive.'' - The Northern Echo 27 November 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

18000 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 964 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 24).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Sat 06: Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 06: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Minor Swing. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 06: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 06: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76 (inc. bf).
Sat 06: Kaberry Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. (inc. hot buffet). ‘Christmas 1945’. Kaberry Big Band, formerly Vermont Big Band.
Sat 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ Platform 1, Bedlington. 7:30pm. £6.00. Rhythm & blues.
Sat 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. Xmas Party with buffet.
Sat 06: The Jive Aces @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £22.00., £20.00.
Sat 06: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 07: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. special guest Donna Hewitt (sax, clarinet).
Sun 07: Finn-Keeble Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 07: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio + Ruth Lambert.
Sun 07: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Jason Isaacs Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 5:15pm (4:00pm doors). £21.50 (inc. bf).
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3 Stories, High St. West, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Support set from Play More Jazz! course participants. Note earlier start.

Mon 08: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 09: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm

Wed 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 10: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Mike Lindup Jazz Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £26.50 (inc. bf). Lindup, Yolanda Charles (bass), John Sam (drums).
Wed 10: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £12.00.

Thu 11: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: West Coast (cool ) / Wordsearch (cool) Cool Jazz or ‘Cold’, ‘Cool’, ‘Hot’, ‘Warm’ in the title or lyrics.
Thu 11: George Robinson @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £5.42 (inc. bf). Vienna’s Voice charity evening featuring ’15 year old singing sensation the ‘Redcar Crooner’ George Robinson’. Over 35s only.
Thu 11: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. back tapes.
Thu 11: Ransom Van @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 11: Down for the Count Swing Orchestra @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:30pm. £37.70 (inc. bf). ‘Swing into Xmas’.

Fri 12: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 12: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £15.00. ‘Xmas Soiree’.
Fri 12: A Jazzy Xmas @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £15.00. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, soprano sax); Matthew Forster (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 12: Tony Hadley: Xmas Big Band Tour 2025 @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Fri 12: Alexia Gardner @ The New Ship Inn, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. 8:00pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy, Abbie Finn.
Fri 12: Jive Aces: Swingin’ Xmas Show @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm.

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

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Big Band Broadcast from 1969.

Peter Drysdale sent me this YouTube clip of  a 1969 big band led by Ronnie Scott and featuring many well known faces.
How many can you recognise?
Lance.
at

9 comments :

Simon Spillett said...

This is a Granada TV special titled Getting Sentimental Over You, broadcast on Boxing Day 1969 and introduced by Bill Grundy.

The personnel is Greg Bowen, Hank Shaw, Paul Tongay, Jimmy Deuchar (trumpets); Keith Christie, Chris Pyne, Cliff Hardie, unknown (trombone); Derek Humble (alto); Ronnie Scott (tenor); Johnnie Gray (tenor); Ronnie Ross (bari); Gordon Beck (piano); Lennie Bush (bass); Kenny Clare (drums)

Sunday, September 15, 2013 7:08:00 pm
Lance said...

Thanks Simon. It has been suggested that the bearded trumpet player is Ian Carr and the unknown trombone player Mike Gibbs and there are resemblances.

Sunday, September 15, 2013 7:15:00 pm
Simon Spillett said...

Sorry....yes it's Mike Gibbs and that IS Ian Carr not Hank Shaw. And it's Ronnie Hughes not Paul Tongay.
Tony Coe is also in the saxes.....just looked it up in Crescendo from the time.

Sunday, September 15, 2013 7:19:00 pm
Lance said...

Tony Coe? I'd have put my 5 bob each way on Alan Skidmore but I guess the hair was too dark for Skid jr.

Sunday, September 15, 2013 7:23:00 pm
Simon Spillett said...

And he's on alto....

Sunday, September 15, 2013 7:55:00 pm
Lance said...

Given the talent in the band the solos weren't spread around very much.

Sunday, September 15, 2013 8:01:00 pm
Simon Spillett said...

My mate Louis Barfe confirms that it is Ronnie Stephenson on drums not Kenny Clare....

Monday, September 16, 2013 12:45:00 am
Louis Barfe said...

According to the February 1970 edition of Crescendo, the line-up is Greg Bowen, Ian Carr, Nigel Carter, Jimmy Deuchar (trumpets); Keith Christie, Mike Gibbs, Chris Pyne, Jimmy Wilson (trombones); Derek Humble, Ron Aspery, Ronnie Scott, Johnnie Gray, Ronnie Ross (saxophones); Gordon Beck (piano), Lennie Bush (bass), Ronnie Stephenson (drums).

Meanwhile I've sent the link to the clip to my friend Johnnie Hamp, for many years head of light entertainment at Granada, and got this response:

"You have made my day! Yes indeed it was one of my shows (whoever put it on Youtube cut the credits!) and I must confess I was being completely self indulgent. A slot became suddenly available for transmission on Boxing day 1969 and I was asked to fill it with whatever I liked. So within a week I put together this bunch of good mates, got together with Bill Grundy to write a script and recorded The Big Band Sound. In addition to the artistes you mention we featured Vince Hill and the wonderful Dickie Valentine (with Mike Parkinson and Irma Ogden looking on!). Ted Heath had just died so Part Two was devoted to his music. In those days no Auto-cue or multitrack recording either! Magic!"

Monday, September 16, 2013 2:20:00 pm
Harry Monty said...

Hi Lance,

What a terrific programme and such a delight to see so many great musicians in their heyday.

Best regards

Harry Monty

Tuesday, September 17, 2013 6:31:00 am

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