Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18878 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 742 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 4.) 21.

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

September.

Tue 08: Seijiro Murayama & Jean-Luc Guionnet @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Warwick St., Newcastle, NE2 1BB. 7.00pm. £10.00 (advance); £12.00 (on door); £.15.00 (solidarity).
Tue 08: SH#RP Collective @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 08: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: 58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club. 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: NONUNONU @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE. Excellent trio.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Jacenaite All Crew @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 10: Emma Rawicz INKYRA @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.30. Sage Two. Line-up: Emma Rawicz (sax); Scottie Thompson (piano, keyboards, synth); David Preston (guitar); Kevin Glasgow (bass guitar); Jack Thomas (drums).

Fri 11: Esther Bennett @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £10.00. Esther Bennett (vocals); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass).
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Ray Stubbs’ R&B All Stars @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £14.09 (inc. bf).

Sat 12: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 12: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £16.26 (inc. bf).

Sun 13: 58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00-3:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: King Bees @ Shape Patisserie, Darlington. 3:00pm. Free. Duo (Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor). A Rhythm & Blues Fringe event. Blues excellence.
Sun 13: Alligator Gumbo @ The Cluny. 5:00pm. £17.15.; £11.43; £5.72.
Sun 13: Eternal Triangle + Andy Champion @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.

Mon 14: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

CD Review: Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra - Strength in Numbers

Pete McGuinness (tmb/vcl/md/arr/comp); Jon Owens, Tony Kadlek, Bill Mobley, Chris Rogers (tpts); Bruce Eidem, Mark Patterson, Matt Haviland, Jeff Nelson (tmbs); Dave Pietro (alt/sop/fl), Marc Phaneuf (alt/fl); Tom Christensen (ten/fl); Jason Rigby (ten/sop/clt); Dave Reikenberg (bar/bs clt); Mike Holober (pno); Andy Eulau (bs); Scott Neumann (dms).
(Review by Lance).
Yet another fine big band from The States led by vocalist and trombonist McGuinness. With remarkable restraint, McGuinness restricts himself to only two vocal features - What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? and You Don't Know What Love is which makes one wonder what the lady's response was to the initial question! 
On trombone Trixie's Little Girl demonstrates the leader's gorgeous sound (Urbie Green or Carl Fontana spring to mind here) and Bittersweet is self explanatory. McGuinness also composed most and arranged all of the tracks including a samba version of Beautiful Dreamer - Stephen Foster would never have believed his song was still doing the rounds 150 years on! 
Apart from McGuinness, Reikenberg's baritone puts him in the TDWR category and Jeff Nelson's bass trombone solo on The Swagger reminds us that the leader isn't the only slideman in the band. Another trombone player, Bruce Eidem, manipulates the plunger a la Tricky Sam after the vocal on You Don't Know etc. inspiring McGuinness to a scat chorus. Saxes Pietro, Phaneuf and Rigby and trumpets Rogers and Mobley also make their mark. Mobley goes for it on Nasty Blues making "Nasty" very "Tasty" indeed!
Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra - Strength in Numbers now available on Summit Records.
Lance.
PS:  Lately it's been a good time for big bands. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra CD reviewed yesterday, The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the Norrbotten Big Band at GIJF and recent gigs by the local Customs House Big Band and the Strictly Smokin' Big Band, not to mention the Teesside big bands of which there appears to be one on every corner whilst way out west,  Hexham way...
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