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

18402 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 266 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 31 ), 76

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

April

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: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 03: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). Free. Chicago blues.

Sat 04: Jake Leg Jug Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Anthropology. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Wild Women of Wylam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £10.00.
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 Quintet + guest Neil Brodie (trumpet).
Sun 05: Mark Williams & Tom Remon @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Jazzmain @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 07: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums).

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Zoë Gilby & Johnny Hunter @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 09: Tom Remon + A.N. Other @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 09: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 09: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra w. Dan Johnson @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. £15.00. inc. bf.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Greg Spero Quartet @ Bridge Hotel May 11

Greg Spero (Clavinova); De'Sean Jones (tenor); Junius Paul (bass, bass guitar); Makaya McCraven (drums).
(Review by Lance/Photo courtesy of Ken Drew).
The four Chicago based musicians took to the stage one by one. The double bass kicked things off. A tall player, a tall instrument, a lot of sound. Junius Paul a genius of the genre. McCraven sat behind the kit and the groove was forming. De'Sean Jones, toting tenor (1946 Holton) had his say and the tension mounted. Finally, the Emperor himself entered the arena, took his place on the throne and, after twiddling knobs and pushing buttons, the quartet was complete. Lift off took place - destination unknown.
The rest of the evening was a musical blur - so much happening it was almost impossible to comprehend. Spero the living proof that music, and jazz in particular, should never be boring and always be entertaining. McCraven - to describe him as formidable would be an understatement, fantastic more like it stick an adjective of your own choice in front of the above f words and you've got the picture.
An amazing Autumn Leaves that was like no other Autumn Leaves I've ever heard and I've heard plenty! If this was Autumn Leaves it should have been retitled Stormy Weather - here comes another f word - fabulous!
Interplay between tenor and piano, unison passages, the drum solo(s) to end all drum solos and the tenor solo on the last number - fast and furious! Bass player never faltered and Greg? He can play and how! One of the nicest guys around too.
Special thanks to Andy and Zoe for arranging this Splinter gig. They were rewarded with a near full house.
I didn't get the 27 bus tonight - I floated home on a cloud!
The Quartet are at Prudhoe tonight - check out the cloud times.
Lance.
PS: Greg does a solo spot on Thursday at Newcastle Uni. - support to the Roger Beaujolais Quartet in a JNE gig. Greg doing supports!  
PPS: All four were on Newcastle Brown Ale.

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1 comment :

Lance said...

Close on 30 comments on F/b re this review!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 1:15:00 pm

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