DECEMBER 2025
Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).
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.
In spite of Met Office warnings and louring skies, there was another big turn-out today to hear a great selection of tunes. Upbeat and happy, blues or bossa nova, whimsical or melancholic, seasonal or for all times, but always melodic and oh-so-cleverly penned, as you would expect from the likes of Hoagy, Cole Porter, Sammy Cahn, Irving Berlin, as well as Jobim and (left-field, but OH SO GOOD!) Bonnie Raitt! Ruth exercised her full vocal range from deep and mellow which warmed the room, to a very high top note which set off sirens (seemingly) on Milburngate Bridge. Mick and Giles accompanied her sensitively, allowing the lyrics to engage the audience, then soloing and taking centre-stage themselves. Mick did some slap-bass (?) on one song which was the OPPOSITE of louring skies and did everything on one “moody” number where Giles had a rest! Giles himself played in a variety of styles -some lovely latin rhythms and one fine blues solo stick in the mind.
10 comments :
By way of explanation: 1-10 above are quotes from the numbers Ruth sang. The brackets are cryptic clues to the titles so CRY ME A RIVER (which Ruth did not sing - shame!) might have been described as [Lachrymose?] JERRY
Off the top of my head...
1) Let's Do It
2) Skylark
3) ?
4) ?
5)S'Wonderful
6) Love Me Like a Man
7) You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
8) ?
9) Black Coffee
10) ?
I'm hummimg the blank ones. someone else can fill them in and/or correct my effort!
1,2,6,7 correct! You are top-scorer so far, Russell!
3 was "the opposite of louring skies",4 was the bossa nova mentioned in my comments (as was its composer) and 10 a seasonal wish-list! Any help? JERRY
Hi Jerry
3) Blue Skies
4) Jobim - can't get the title, yet!
50% now - Blue Skies it was.
For Jobim, think water to drink (in either Iberian language).
10's EASY (honest!) A favourite of Ruth's.... a wish-list for Dec 24, exhorting haste from a jolly chap in red!
9 Heavenly optics.
10 Santa Baby?
Spot on, Emma!
Yes, "Heavenly" for ANGEL EYES, Lance.
Which just leaves 4,5,and 8, I think.
JERRY
4: Aqua etc...
5: Don't say this to Zoe if Andy's around!
8: Frequently talking to one's self.
4: sim, exacto. Agua de Beber
5: Sound advice!
8: was "Time after Time"
JERRY
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