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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: ?

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Jamie McCredie @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. THIS WEEK ONLY JAMES BIRKETT (guitar)!
Fri 28: Luis Verde Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Knats @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.50. (inc bf.). Album launch gig. Support act TBC.
Fri 28: Black is the Color of My Voice @ The Gala, Durham. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, performed by Florence Odumosu.
Fri 28: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival: Musicians Unlimited @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. £10.00. (Weekend ticket £20.00., available on the door). Day 1/3. Musicians Unlimited in concert.
Fri 28: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

MARCH 2025

Sat 01: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 11:00am. £15.00. Day 2/3.
Sat 01: TJ Johnson Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Get your funk on! Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ The Watch House, Cullercoats. 2:00-3:30pm. Free.
Sat 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers. Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Struggle Buggy @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Blues band.
Sat 01: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: Jack & Jay’s Vintage Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Saturday, September 28, 2013

The Customs House Big Band @ St. Cuthbert’s Parish Centre, Crook. Friday Sept. 27

Bill Watson, Michael Lamb, Ken DeVere, Gordon Marshall: (trumpets); Gareth Weaver, Chris Kurgi-Smith, Michael Fletcher, Peter Morgan: (trombones);  Jill Brett, Kim Webb, (alto);  Alan Marshall, Peter Hepplewhite (tenor); Chris Kaberry(baritone); Bill Brittain (piano); Alan Smith (bass guitar); Barry Black (drums); Roy Willis (guitar)..
(Review and photo by Jerry)
7.15, and almost dark; under the open-beamed roof, candles glimmer beside simple floral displays and bowls of nibbles on each red-clothed table. The bar is well stocked with bottled ales and the band is doing a quick sound-check - a hint of what is to come. We are at Crook – my favourite venue bar none!

At 7.30 sharp we were drummed into Love for Sale which featured alto, trumpet and tenor – the first of many excellent solos this evening – and a big, big finish. Indiana was introduced as a “little thing”, but there was really nothing “little” about the sound from this 17-piece band!
We were urged to dance, if we felt like it, and buy the soloists drinks! Next, aptly, was Straight No Chaser! For Sunny Side of the Street Peter Morgan suggested that we sing (Ruth Lambert was absent, ill) and we did, rather shyly at first, but feeling “rich as Rockefeller” nonetheless.
Next was “Not the Stan Kenton Band (but we would like to be)” - trombones to the fore, on But Beautiful: full-throttle crescendos, alto sax solo, hints of foghorn baritone and a high trumpet finish (Ooops! I’m sounding like a wine-buff!) No dancers yet but the Latin rhythms of Storm Zone were clearly getting to the guy who samba-ed to the bar ahead of me, and during The Way You Look Tonight, TWO couples were up and dancing!
Why Musicians Can’t Dance (THREE couples now could) was given the lie, by Peter Morgan, some of whose moves while conducting had me expecting a moonwalk at any moment! A nice guitar solo on this one, too.
April in Paris closed the set with audience-participation (“One more time” we chanted)! So now he had us singing, dancing and chanting: if there’s any snow to be sold to the Inuit, here’s your man for the job!
The interval passed with pizza slices and raffle then back to the music!
Specifically, the music of Gordon Goodwin: the brilliant, cartoon inspired Hunting Wabbits. Its manic staccato opening, all honking brass and clashing cymbals, had the dancers back in action straight away and the melodic middle section featured more fine solos including soprano sax and piano before the drums announced a return to madness. The dancers needed to steer well clear of Mr Morgan’s windmill arms as he wound the band up to a frenetic finale! Goodwin also provided the set-closer, Sing Sang Sung – an “interesting” (understatement!) take on Sing Sing Sing heard on Monday at The Cherry Tree. There the audience had been vocal, here they were rowdily festive, dancing, clapping and hollering (someone near me was doing a passable impersonation of a tawny owl)!
In between these gems – all good, but I need to be brief – we had: Stardust (and an explanation of the name “Hoagy”); Groovin’ High (which lived up to its name); Moonlight in Vermont; Sister Sadie (bop bop bop-baa) and C Jam Blues with at least 10 solos to illustrate “What jazz bands are all about” (Peter Morgan’s words, not mine). Great stuff: this is a band to follow, if not to the ends of the earth, at least to Crook or South Shields or anywhere else you can catch them! Did anyone buy a drink for the soloists, I wonder?

Thanks to all at St. Cuthbert’s for an excellent night: next  gig is Djangologie, keep an eye on the listings for that. We’ll be there. – Jerry.

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