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 21, 2014

Peter Gilligan Quintet The Music of Horace Silver - Splinter @ the Bridge April 20.

Peter Gilligan (pno); Don Forbes (tpt); Gary Turner (ten); Paul Grainger (bs); Dave McKeague (dms).
(Review by Lance/photo by Zoe Gilby).
Zoe's interview with Peter Gilligan gave us a foresight of what to expect and we got it - in spades! It would be easy to say that you can't go wrong with the music of Horace Silver and you can't - providing you can play in the first place. These guys can play!
Tokyo Blues; Opus De Funk; Liberated Brother; Peace; Tippin'; Filthy McNasty and Nutville made for an exciting  first set. Gilligan plays two-handed piano like a 21st century strideman never failing to get to the heart of the music. Turner was given ten days to learn the library - you'd have thought he'd been playing it since birth! Forbes is a forceful player melodic and mellow making this a contrasting and yet compatible front line. Grainger - the bass man's bassman - never flamboyant but always there. On drums Dave McKeague, sympathetic in support and sound in solo.
The second set gave us St. Vitus Dance; Strollin'; Lonely Woman (Don Forbes feature); Quicksilver; Summer in Central Park (intended to have been a feature for incapacitated vibes man Chris Jelly); Nica's Dream and a surprise finale with an earthy vocal from Zoe - who also took the above photo (which I took the liberty of lifting from F/b my own camera being naughty at the moment!)
Great night. Shame it had to clash with Alter Ego's gig Way Out West in Blaydon - I wanted to be at both!.

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