Bebop Spoken There

Donovan Haffner ('Best Newcomer' 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards): ''I got into jazz the first time I picked up a saxophone!" - Jazzwise Dec 25/Jan 26

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

18122 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1086 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Dec. 31), 100

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 07: FILM: Blue Moon @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 2:00pm. Dir. Richard Linklater’s biopic of Lorenz Hart.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 08: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Jazz Milestones of 1976.

Fri 09: The House Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 09: Nauta @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Trio: Jacob Egglestone, Jamie Watkins, Bailey Rudd.
Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Warren James & the Lonesome Travellers @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Fri 09: The Blue Kings @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv.). All-star band.

Sat 10: Mark Toomey Quintet @ St Peter’s Church, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:30pm. £12.00. (inc. pie & peas). Tickets from: 07749 255038.

Sun 11: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Milne Glendinning Band @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 13: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

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

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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