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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 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

17945 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 266 of them this year alone and, so far, 22 this month (April 8).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.CANCELLED!
Thu 10: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. A Globe fundraiser (all proceeds to the venue).
Thu 10: Exhaust: Camila Nebbia/Kit Downes/Andrew Lisle @ Jesmond URC, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. JNE.
Thu 10: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Feat. guests Ray Dales & Jackie Summers.

Fri 11: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: John Rowland Trio: The Music of Ben Webster @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Rowland (tenor sax); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Fri 11: Imelda May @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 11: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ Cullercoats Watch House. 7:30-9:00pm. Free (donations).

Sat 12: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 12: Rob Heron & the Tea Pad Orchestra + House of the Black Gardenia + King Bees @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 6:30pm (doors). £18.00.
Sat 12: Bright Street Big Band @ Washington Arts Centre. 6:30pm. £12.00. Event includes swing dance taster session, DJ dance session. Bright Street Big Band on stage 7:30-8:15pm & 8:45-9:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Imelda May @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £42.20. SOLD OUT!
Sat 12: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 13: Daniel John Martin with Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 13: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 13: Hejira: A Celebration of Joni Mitchell @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £22.50.
Sun 13: Wilkinson/Edwards/Noble + Chojnacki @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £13.20., £11.00. JNE.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Zoë Gilby Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

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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