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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, 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

17972 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 293 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (April 22).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

Sat 26: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Darlington. 12 noon. Free (donations).
Sat 26: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 26: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. Tickets: £12.00. + bf. Duo performance.
Sat 26: Neil Cowley Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.50.
Sat 26: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.

Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

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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