Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ 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: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Krysztof Urbanski - The Urban Jazz Society @ Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. April 13.

Krysztof  Urbanski (ten/alt); Martin Longhawn (pno); Sam Vicary (bs); Sam Gardner (dms).
(Review by Lance/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).
If Johnny Hodges had played tenor, tonewise, he may have resembled Urbanski particularly in the latter's opening, unaccompanied, introduction to Nature Boy. Paradoxically, when Urbanski did play alto in the second set he sounded nothing like Hodges!
Nature Boy was the only non-original composition, the rest were mainly from the pen of the leader who never fails to impress with his big saxophone sound and technique to match.

On keyboard, Longhawn - a new name to me - proved to be yet another star in the making to emerge from that cauldron of culture known as Leeds. The Two Sams are frequent visitors to Tyneside and both were in scintillating form. 
The band are going into the studio tomorrow to record an album. If it is anything like the music heard tonight then it will be worth checking out.
A very satisfying evening. These Splinter sessions continue to provide a cross section of modern jazz from across the region and beyond and are deserved of the support of all jazz fans.
Next week it's one of the home teams in the form of Peter Gilligan's Quintet playing the music of Horace Silver.
Lance.

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