Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 2026)

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

18621 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 485 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 14) 37

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

From This Moment On

June

Tue 23: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 23: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 24: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 25: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 25: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Forgotten Ones & Any Quintets.
Thu 25: Edgar Ho Trio @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free. Brilliant alto sax, piano & double bass trio. Unmissable!
Thu 25: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 26: Finn-Keeble Group @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9:00.
Fri 26: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 26: Clark Tracey @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. £26.00. Day 1/2.

Sat 27: OUTRI @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £13.01. 1:00-1:45pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: House of the Black Gardenia + Magpies of Swing @ The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sat 27: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 2:15-3:15pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 3:45-4:45pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Rory Ingham @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 5:30-6:30pm. £19.51. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Ingham w. Dean Stockdale, Ian Paterson, Dave McKeague.
Sat 27: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 27: Laura Jurd @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £26.00. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Sat 27: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary’s Church, Wooler. 3:00pm. £18.00., £6.00. A Wooler Arts Summer Concerts event. Tim Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: An Evening of Jazz @ St James’ Church, Copper Chare, Morpeth. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 from 01670 788869 or 01670 519923. Mid Northumberland Chorus (MD Robin Forbes, Emma Straughan, piano) w. jazz trio featuring Edgar Ho, Oscar Ho & Dave McKeague & special guest Emily Masser. Performance inc. Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass + George Shearing’s Songs & Sonnets.
Sun 28: Led Bib @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.00., £12.00. JNE.

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Jam Session - Splinter at the Bridge December 15

Zoe Gilby, Kieran Rafferty & Kath Jobes (Vocal) Alan Law (Piano) John Pope (D Bass) Jonathan Marriott (Drum) Paul Gowland (Sax).
(Review by Kath Jobes)
Well folks, I have to say I was in two minds whether or not to report on this Splinter session.  Lance was undecided whether to publish the comment as he is reluctant to post anonymous ones but maybe readers should have the choice… and one out of 400 hits is probably just a bad egg so I will allow you to decide, here is what “Anonymous” wrote:
My God. Who is this Kath Jobes? She's at it again. Does someone wind her up & throw away the key? A short, informative review would be suffice, by the time we get to the end, we're bored!
Well I will tell you who I am, I am someone who is not afraid to express my views and take responsibility for them.  I will stand up for myself and I will not be bullied by some numpty who hasn’t the courage to sign their name to a rude and personal attack.  If you had been at Splinter you would have known who I was… or maybe you are just hiding behind your words…. If you get bored don’t read my reviews… Simple!  Anyway, enough said!
So folks as I said I hadn’t planned to review this week, I had once again been over to Salsa for a sing, and decided to continue on to Splinter… I didn’t  get my pad out for the first instrumental  number but the minute Zoe Gilby hit the stage I just couldn’t let folks down so out it came to report once more
I Thought About You, sung as a beautiful ballad was followed by Just Squeeze Me, with wonderfully expressive solos from both piano and bass.  Gee Baby Ain’t I Good To You was described as a sleazy bluesy number by Zoe and it didn’t disappoint.  The Alan Law trio then went on to play an upbeat interpretation of Bye Bye Blackbird… a song I had sung earlier at Salsa and Law’s improvised piano solo slipped in a phrase of Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, and was followed by more stupendous solos  from Pope on bass and Marriott on drums. 
Kieran Rafferty took to the stage for a couple of numbers, and impressed with I Only Have Eyes For You and Rock a Bye Baby, this singer is highly talented and reminded me of Chet Baker and at times Michael Bublé.  The first set was rounded off nicely by the trio with Blue Bossa
My Funny Valentine was the underlying tune for the introduction of set two by the Trio, but was improvised delightfully by the skilled musicians to the point that I almost forgot that I was up next!  Audience members described my version of Good Morning Heartache as soulful and heartfelt, and indeed that was exactly the interpretation I had wanted. 
Rafferty then came back to centre stage for an exquisite By the Light of the Silvery Moon, and the night was rounded off by Zoe Gilby, who was not allowed to escape without one more brilliant tune… a stupendous bossa – Love For Sale, even Paul Gowland could not resist this tune and got out his tenor to delight with a stunning solo… dressed as the Christmas Elf with his Santa hat on.  As the night came to a close Paul Bream thanked attendees for coming along to support Splinter at the Bridge and reminded people about Tuesday Night at The Cluny where AVC have a final gig of the year… it will be well worth seeing folks.
Kath J.

2 comments :

Lance said...

A moment to stand up and be counted!

mark robertson said...

Anonymous's post says more about themselves than Kath Jobes.

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