Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18656 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 520 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 25) 72

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

June

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 30: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

July

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 02: De’Sean Jones & Blaque Dynamite feat. Urban Art Orchestra @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). De’Sean Jones (MD, tenor sax); Blaque Dynamite (Mike Mitchell, drums); Jamie Murray (drums) with UAO horns & strings.
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Thu 02: Howlin’ Mat @ Newcastle Arts centre. 7:30pm. Free. Acoustic

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Paul Donnelly Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: Martin Taylor @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Taylor (solo guitar).

Sat 04: Spats Langham’s Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:00-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Take the ‘A’ Train to Summertime: From Melody to Masterclass. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest TBC.
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Friday, April 18, 2014

CD Review: Yolanda Duke - Te Llevo Bajo La Piel

Yolanda Duke (vocal); Arturo Sandoval (piano & trumpet); Champian Fulton, Ricky Gonzalez, Sonny Bravo (piano); Ruben Rodriguez, Gerry Madera (bass); Willie-Cuch Be Wictha-Martinez (drums); Jose Madera (timbales); John Rodriguez (bongo, bell, guiro); Luis Quintero (conga, bongo, guiro, bell, timbales); George Delgado (conga); Bobby Portcelli (alto sax, flute); Pete Miranda (baritone sax); Mitch Fruhman, Pete Brainin, Todd Brashore (tenor sax, flute); John Walsh, Kevin Bryan, Pete Nater,Richard Viruet (trumpet); Lewis Kahn, Noah Bless, Reynaldo Jorge, Sam Burtis (Trombone)
(Review by Ann Alex).
Yolanda Duke grew up in New York City and she has performed in venues around the world with the Tito Puente Latin Jazz Orchestra.  She is experienced in singing Latin jazz, merengue, ballads, bossa nova, salsa and bolero, and this is her latest CD.  I’m no expert in those different styles but I know a good CD when I hear it, and this is certainly tops. 
The singing is lively and exuberant and the band is superb.  And that’s saying something as all the tracks are in Spanish, with maybe some Portuguese, and 1 track in Italian, and I don’t speak those languages, yet I still thoroughly enjoyed it all. Sub-titled The Great American Songbook Goes Latino, it helped that there were 6 standards, with the Spanish titles sounding so romantic, for example, Te Llevo Bajo La Piel (I’ve Got You Under My Skin). The other standards are  Misty, What Is This Thing Called Love, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Blue Moon, and Neil Sedaka’s The Hungry Years.  The remaining 5 tracks were songs by Spanish composers. I almost wanted to go back to school to learn the language.  
The band shows split second timing with short musical comments to match the voice, and the solos, on trumpet (a rare appearance by the legendary Sandoval), piano, sax, flute and bursts of percussion, are well executed.  Ms Duke’s voice is wistful and saucy by turns, with cheeky short comments in English at the end of some songs. For instance, I’ve Got You Under My Skin has the bass trotting along with the band, lots of percussion and our singer comments at the end ‘I got you babe.’ The Spanish tune Contigo En La Distancia is slower and quieter with the piano leading.  What Is This Thing Called Love ends with our singer giving a kiss towards the microphone!  And throughout the whole disc the irresistible Latin beat goes on.  Buy this disc for your next party.
The CD was released on April 15 on the Amigos Music Co. Label.  Listen to the lady herself on her website www.yolandaduke.com 
Ann Alex.
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