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

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.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

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, November 09, 2013

MORE ARTISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 10TH GATESHEAD INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Tickets on sale now for Courtney Pine, Polar Bear, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and more 
Following the announcement in October of Gateshead International Jazz Festival 2014 headliners Django Bates and the Norrbotten Big Band, The Spring Quartet, Robert Glasper and Bill Frisell, tickets for five further performances - including the well known British saxophonist, composer and broadcaster Courtney Pine - have now been released for sale.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary and renowned for being the UK’s biggest jazz festival under one roof outside London, the festival, programmed by Sage Gateshead in collaboration with London-based music producers Serious, runs from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 April 2014 at Sage Gateshead.
Tickets are now on sale for Saturday and Sunday performances by Courtney Pine - House of Legends; Jean Toussaint Quartet/McCormack and Yarde Duo with the Elysian String Quartet - double bill; Chris Sharkey’s SHIVER and Polar Bear – double bill; the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra - Jazz Toons (afternoon show) and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra – In the Spirit of Duke.

Saturday 5 April 
Courtney Pine - House of Legends will provide the climax to the bill on Saturday 5 April at 10.30pm, fresh from sell-out tours in the US, Canada and Europe. The House of Legends – Pine’s 15th studio album – is flavoured by the Caribbean with a mix of Merengue, Ska, Mento and Calypso. Joined by musicians from across the globe, multi-instrumentalist Pine plays soprano saxophone in a set that’s been described as ‘a joy throughout’ (BBC Music Magazine) and ‘unquestionably one of the most joyous albums Pine has ever made, it's just brilliantly effective dance music’ by Jazzwise, which voted House of Legends its 2012 album of the year. 
Jean Toussaint Quartet/McCormack and Yarde Duo with the Elysian String Quartet- Double Bill take to the stage at 2pm. The Jean Toussaint Quartet’s music falls between straight jazz and funk. Born in the Caribbean, band leader Toussaint is a composer and talented tenor/soprano saxophonist now based in London. A former member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Toussaint is working on a new alum to follow up the critically acclaimed Live in Paris and London.
The McCormack & Yarde Duo first performed together in 2008 and their collaboration with the Elysian Quartethas resulted in a new album, due for release in early 2014. Pianist Andrew McCormack and saxophonist Jason Yarde both compose separately then come together to play. The Elysian Quartet is a string quartet specialising in contemporary, experimental and improvised music.
Sunday 6 April 
The double bill of Chris Sharkey’s SHIVER and Polar Bear are on stage at 2pm. Gateshead-born Chris Sharkey’s new trio SHIVER features Chris on electric guitar, Andy Champion on electric bass, drummer Joost Hendricks and two special guests. They will premiere a new suite by Chris commissioned by the PRSF for Music Foundation to mark the 10th anniversary of Gateshead International Jazz Festival, influenced by the North East’s 20th century popular music culture. Expect loud guitars and influences from modern EDM to garage rock and improv/noise.
Mercury Prize nominees Polar Bear have led the way in attracting a younger audience to their brand of contemporary jazz; the band features tenor saxophonists Mark Lockheart and Pete Wareham, Tom Herbert on double bass, Sebastian Rochford on drums and Leafcutter John on electronics/guitar. 
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra - Jazz Toons: Top Cats, Action Men and Incredible Super-Heroesbrings jazz to all the family on Sunday afternoon at 3pm with music from the movies and cartoons, including The Pink Panther, Top Cat, James Bond, Star Trek and the Flintstones.
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra - In the Spirit of Duke features special guest Brian Kellock in a tribute to the great Duke Ellington. With music from across Ellington’s career, highlights of the Tommy Smith-directed set include Black and Tan Fantasy, Daybreak Express, Rockin' In Rhythm, and a tenor-piano duet of The Single Petal of a Rose from The Queen's Suite. The show starts at 7.30pm.
The 2014 festival, which mixes music with opportunities for plenty of audience participation, features a range of established and upcoming stars of the jazz world.
Ros Rigby, Performance Programme Director at Sage Gateshead, said: “For the 10th Jazz Festival we have our strongest ever line up, with stars from the jazz scene coming to Gateshead from across the UK and Europe – as well as some great American names. We’re already had lots of interest and are confident these latest releases will see ticket sales soar.”

Gateshead International Jazz Festival takes place at Sage Gateshead from Friday April 4 to Sunday April 6, 2014. Tickets can be booked either by calling 0191 443 4661, online at www.sagegateshead.com or in person from Sage Gateshead’s Ticket Office.

1 comment :

Kath Jobes said...

Looks like the next Festival will be superb... so many great Artists on, will have to chose carefully to make my budget ft as far as it can... def want to see Courtney Pine

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