Bebop Spoken There

Ethan Hawke (starring as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon): ''Larry [Lorenz] Hart would be so happy that his music and his words and his poetry are still alive.'' - The Northern Echo 27 November 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

18000 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 964 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 24).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Sat 06: Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 06: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Minor Swing. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 06: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 06: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76 (inc. bf).
Sat 06: Kaberry Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. (inc. hot buffet). ‘Christmas 1945’. Kaberry Big Band, formerly Vermont Big Band.
Sat 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ Platform 1, Bedlington. 7:30pm. £6.00. Rhythm & blues.
Sat 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. Xmas Party with buffet.
Sat 06: The Jive Aces @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £22.00., £20.00.
Sat 06: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 07: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. special guest Donna Hewitt (sax, clarinet).
Sun 07: Finn-Keeble Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 07: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio + Ruth Lambert.
Sun 07: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Jason Isaacs Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 5:15pm (4:00pm doors). £21.50 (inc. bf).
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3 Stories, High St. West, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Support set from Play More Jazz! course participants. Note earlier start.

Mon 08: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 09: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm

Wed 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 10: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Mike Lindup Jazz Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £26.50 (inc. bf). Lindup, Yolanda Charles (bass), John Sam (drums).
Wed 10: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £12.00.

Thu 11: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: West Coast (cool ) / Wordsearch (cool) Cool Jazz or ‘Cold’, ‘Cool’, ‘Hot’, ‘Warm’ in the title or lyrics.
Thu 11: George Robinson @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £5.42 (inc. bf). Vienna’s Voice charity evening featuring ’15 year old singing sensation the ‘Redcar Crooner’ George Robinson’. Over 35s only.
Thu 11: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. back tapes.
Thu 11: Ransom Van @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 11: Down for the Count Swing Orchestra @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:30pm. £37.70 (inc. bf). ‘Swing into Xmas’.

Fri 12: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 12: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £15.00. ‘Xmas Soiree’.
Fri 12: A Jazzy Xmas @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £15.00. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, soprano sax); Matthew Forster (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 12: Tony Hadley: Xmas Big Band Tour 2025 @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Fri 12: Alexia Gardner @ The New Ship Inn, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. 8:00pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy, Abbie Finn.
Fri 12: Jive Aces: Swingin’ Xmas Show @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm.

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, 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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