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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 2024).

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

17655 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 929 of them this year alone and, so far, 74 this month (Dec. 31).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 03: John Gregory @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar.

Sat 04: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Square, Middlesbrough. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 04: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £5.00. Xmas party (rescheduled from early December).

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 05: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Americana, jazz & blues.
Sun 05: Papa G’s Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Mon 06: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 09: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: John H Hammond.
Thu 09: FILM: Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 2:35pm. Documentary (dir. Johan Grimonprez) ‘about jazz, (de)colonial history and activism featuring Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie’.
Thu 09: Happy Tuesdays @ Ye Olde Cross, Ryton. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 09: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. 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

Monday, October 21, 2013

Strictly Smokin' Big Band/Strictly Smokin' Small Band @ Hoochie Coochie. October 20

Michael Lamb (leader/tpt); Pete Tanton. Gordon Marshall, Bill Watson (tpts); Mark Ferris, Don Fairley, Mr John Flood, Robert Perry (tmbs); Steve Summers, Nadiah Killick (alt); Paul Gowland, Jamie Toms (ten); Laurie Rangecroft (bar). Marc Jolliffe (pno); Pavel Jedrzejewski (gtr); Michael Whent (bs); Guy Swinton (dms); Lindsay Hannon, James Hedley (vcls).
(Review by Lance).
A good crowd and a great band! Caravan kicked things off with some delightful dissonance reminiscent of Kenton's Peanut Vendor  followed by One Note at a Time. The sax section in this latter number were an absolute delight - four men and a girl playing as one.
Lindsay Hannon revived the old Ella classic A Tisket a Tasket then, after a Buddy Rich number, returned to give us Alright, Ok, you Win, Too Darn Hot and a sensitive Angel Eyes which included a moving solo by Gowland on tenor. Lindsay left after this - she had other fish to fry today as we will discover later.
James Hedley gave out with Almost Like Being in Love - this band is fortunate to have two such brilliant singers - not to mention the fine array of instrumentalists as was demonstrated in Woody's immortal classic Four Brothers.
Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue demonstrated the band's diversity as did Bag's Groove which had a rhythm section intro that can only be described as atonal.
Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was a swinger as was Blues Off the Wall - a Neal Hefti/Basie style arrangement although probably by Sammy Nestico (I've since found out it's by Gordon Goodwin - well I knew it had to be one or the other!) A rare Larry Rangecroft baritone solo on this one! Norwegian Wood a la Buddy Rich, James Hedley returned for Fly Me To the Moon before the day's big showstopper - Oye Como Va
This Latin based number was salsaing along nicely - then all hell broke loose as Gowland and Summers slugged it out over 15 musical rounds. This was a Pier Six brawl of the highest quality as alto and tenor matched choruses trading blow for blow - 16's 8's 4's - this is the stuff that jazz is made of. Combativity and musical respect. I remember back in the days of the Newcastle Big Band similar situations with Charlie Carmichael and Nigel Stanger.
Magic! Perhaps next month a trumpet battle?
James returned for The Way You Look Tonight - a great song sung well - my favourite line "Keep that breathless charm". Bublé's I'm Feelin' Good and Sinatra's Bad Bad Leroy Brown rounded off a super Sunday afternoon 'cept it wasn't over yet!
In the best big band tradition we had a "Band within a band" which had the rhythm section and Gowland, Toms, Summers, Tanton and Lamb blowing on Blue Bossa and Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. Excellent.
A good evening all round with my apologies for not mentioning all the soloists. Pav on guitar, Tanton and Lamb on trumpets Marc on piano and of course Fairley on trombone as well as Jamie Toms and Nadiah on tenor and alto.
Carve their names with pride!
Now it was time to head to the Bridge and more Lindsay...
Photos.
Lance.

2 comments :

Steve Summers said...

Dear Lance
I read your very kind review of the band but had to write to you.
So astonished flattered and tickled to think that Paul & myself duelling on oye como va would put you in mind of Carmichael/Stanger back in the days.
That's because those gigs back in the mid 70s were for me simply the best heart & jazz combined - I used to go every sunday from about age 14 with my dad to the playhouse bar -thats about 1974/5 onwards and it was those experiences that very first opened my ears up to jazz at what I think was its wholesome best. And all possible within our small city.
Stanger tantalisingly refusing to finally make a sound as he pretended to start a solo on Hey Jude because the "Byker Orpheus Choir" was still not bellowing loud enough - keys held together by lacky bands, Carmichael looking shy but blowing like a demon - Loane looking cool and being cool too - most of the brass taking the piss - and to suck the audience into the certainty that this was what Sundays were made for and it didn't matter about the weather outside.
I don't think we've got anywhere near Hudson's lot but if a small tinge was to be conjured up then that's a lovely thing so thanks.

Lance said...

Thanks Steve but, Charlie Carmichael shy? Differences? SSBB is the modern Basie Band tight and precise. We (NBB) were the old Basie Band (Looser more shambolic in a nice sort of way!)

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