Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,057 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 921 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 29) 100.

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

October.

Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 31: Saltburn Big Band + Durham Alumni Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Sat 31: East Coast Swing Band @ Cramlington Village Club, Park View, Cramlington NE23 6QJ. 7:30pm. £10.00. (from venue).

November

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet w. special guest Donna Hewitt (tenor sax, clarinet)
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Sarah Heneghan Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 03: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. guest tba
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.
Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: An Evening of Erykah Badu @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 7:30pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Hejira - Celebrating Joni Mitchell @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Cut Capers @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors).
Thu 05: Northern Reaches @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Pete Tanton, Joe Steels, Laurence Blackadder, John Hirst.
Thu 05: Fergus McCreadie @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Rae Brothers New Orleans Jazz Band – 'Jazz @ the Fell @ The Legion Christmas Party – December 20

 Paul Bacon dms, John Robinson bass, Dave Rae bjo, Jim Blenkin tbn, Liz Bacon clt plus guests Peter Wright tpt and Ian Wynne pno.
(Review by Roly Veitch)
A lovely session of pure New Orleans jazz was served up for the faithful regulars, along with the traditional sumptuous Christmas buffet, making for a most enjoyable and convivial evening. This just one of literally hundreds of concerts that have been staged by the Fell jazz club since it was all begun by the late drummer Ray Brown back in 1994. When Ray tragically passed away in 2000 the running of the club was taken on by enthusiasts Ron and Joyce Pollard who have, with great determination and devotion, kept the club going since then, such that it reaches its 20th anniversary in 2014. That will be 20 years of weekly sessions – somewhere around 1000 concerts. They deserve a medal!
This evening Rae Brothers, great favourites at the club, delivered their own rather special brand of egoless, pure ensemble style New Orleans jazz – as always played with such a lovely gentle, subtle, authentic feel and delightful, foot tapping rhythm. Its not by luck that this band are hugely popular at clubs and festivals all over the UK and beyond. A great selection of tunes – Carolina Moon, Walking with the King, Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet, Bye and Bye, Moonlight Bay, Ma, She's Making Eyes at me, Sugar Blues, In the Highways, Shake it and Break it, St Louis Blues and more.
A few years back a young pianist became a protégée of the band. Ian Wynne has gone on to study music completing his degree at Birmingham and now working for a masters at Manchester. He is indeed a young master of early jazz piano styles – ragtime, boogie woogie, blues, stride. Tonight the band gave him a 20 minute solo feature. The audience were enraptured by his performance of Dr John's Song for Mother, Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag and the waltz Bethena, Professor Longhair's Tipitina (with vocal) and an Albert Ammons boogie woogie. All immaculately played.
The band finished the evening with a rousing Ice Cream and Winter Wonderland (one of several nice vocals by Dave this evening) sending everyone home happy and in the Christmas spirit.
Thanks from all of us to Ron and Joyce for all their hard work and dedication.
Roly.

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