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

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

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.

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, September 05, 2013

CD Preview: Blue Touch Paper ‘Drawing Breath’

Release Date: 14 October Label: Provocateur Records
Colin Towns (Mask Orchestra): composer, keyboards; Mark Lockheart (Polar Bear, Loose Tubes) saxophones; Chris Montague (Troyka, Kit Downes) guitars; Benny Greb (Stoppok, Ron Spielman) drums; Stephan Maass  (Kruder & Dorfmeister, Randy Brecker) percussion & electronics; Edward Maclean (Peter Fox, Nils Wülker) bass.
Blue Touch Paper will be live at the Vortex on 24th February 2014 as part of a full UK tour (dates to be announced)
Two years in the making, with more that 60 demo tracks recorded, Drawing Breath is the highly anticipated follow up to Blue Touch Paper’s debut album ‘Stand Well Back’ – an album warmly received by the press and the subject of some stunning reviews. Continuing the Blue Touch Paper soundscape, Drawing Breath once again demonstrates an adventurous, visionary and powerful way forward, something we have come to expect from band-leader Colin Towns. Although the trademark cinematic moments, elements of jazz, rock and classical music are present as they were on ‘Stand Well Back’, Drawing Breath demonstrates a developing energy within the band, with powerful compositions that continue to push the band forward both technically and creatively. This is a remarkably textured album too, full of unexpected turns and contrasting moments of terrific energy and stillness that is quite breathtaking. With a nod to his work in the theatre (he has worked extensively with Royal Shakespeare Company’s Terry Hands), Towns has also produced an animated film that accompanies the track ‘Fair is Foul’, by animator Michael Tang based on the witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth (see link below).
 “Towns’ music is a rich brew of Miles Davis-like funk, minimalistic energy and gleeful piano vamps” The Telegraph
“One of the most original jazz and crossover composers in Europe” The Guardian
“…catchy hooks, knotty rhythms and moodscapes…” Mojo
ABOUT COLIN TOWNS
Colin Towns is one of the UK’s most talented composers and musicians and is prolific not only in the world of jazz, but also that of film and TV composition. Vastly underrated in his home country, much of his work has taken him to Europe, where he enjoys enormous success. Best known in the UK as the composer for the highly successful Doc Martin TV series, his CV is a staggering list of achievements, from his early days in Gillan to his many film soundtracks (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, The Puppet Masters, Essex Boys and the now cult soundtrack to Full Circle, aka The Haunting of Julia), soundtracks for TV drama and animation (Doc Martin, Ghostboat, Cold Blood, Half Broken Things, Our Friends in the North, Fungus the Bogeyman, The Crow Road) his projects with some of Europe’s most exciting big bands (the Hamburg based NDR Bigband; Frankfurt’s HR Bigband; The Bohuslän Big Band from Sweden and Orchestra Jazz della Sardegna) and his own Mask Orchestra with whom  he has recorded 6 albums not to mention commercials, theatre productions and documentaries.
LINKS:
Blue Touch Paper - Promo - 'Drawing Breath Moments'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC-4FCFQO_A
Blue Touch Paper – Animation for ‘Fair is Foul’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb57HMDT9Ss

www.bluetouchpaper.com
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