Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 2025

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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

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

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Jam Session @ Jazz Café. June 17.

Peter Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Paul Wight (dms) + Ian Forbes (dms); Paul Gowland (alt); Kath Jobes (vcl).
(Review by Lance.)
The World Cup has a lot to answer for - not least the effect on jazz clubs. Who, with all of their wits about them, can sit watching two foreign teams kicking a ball around when they could be at the Jazz Café Jam or any of the other jazz gigs around the world that are being steamrollered into submission by the "Beautiful game"?
Still, those of us who opted for the jazz weren't disappointed and indeed it was almost a musical World Cup as the PG3 spent Autumn in New York, A Foggy Day in London Town, Bounced with Bud into Dear Old Stockholm, Norwegian Wood kept us in Scandinavia plus A Night in Tunisia and a visit to Scarborough Fair was also contemplated. These latter two pieces didn't materialise on my watch (Metro Station upheavals etc. meant an early bath for me) but may have occurred later.
Needless to say the PG3 were on form playing easy, laid back swing including The Song is You with double bass to the fore as indeed it was on All Blues - was this Paul Grainger or Paul Chambers?
Sitters in were sitting in at home tonight with the notable exceptions of Ian Forbes - as ever full of fun and fast fours - Paul Gowland, firing a vintage 35M Conn under slung alto on All The Things You Are and I'll Remember April and Kath Jobes chanting Imagination and Autumn Leaves.
Next week it's a Schmazz gig featuring guitar duo Mike Walker and Stuart McCallum with a support set by Paul Taylor.
Lance.

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2 comments :

Anonymous said...

The way to go about getting more people into jazz, especially live jazz, is to make it more inclusive.
I don't think the way to do so is to suggest that those choosing to watch the football don't have their wits about them. In Leeds, theres a couple of places were they had the football on during the last world cup but mute, and encouraged people to come in and play music based on what they were watching on the big screen.
If people just sit and complain about jazz (and not only jazz, by the way) being steam rollered into submission, the way to preserve it is to adapt, not to close ranks to the exclusion of all else.

Friday, June 20, 2014 10:38:00 pm
Lance said...

Dear Anonymous of Leeds - I don't quite see that musicians playing to what they see on a muted screen of the world cup is going to appeal to either jazz people or football people. If I choose to watch a football match I don't want some guy blowing tenor sax in my ear. Likewise, I want the musicians I've come to hear to be inspired by Ellington, Cole Porter, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea or each other, not Wayne Rooney!
Mind you, this recent world cup would, if we'd been doing it "Leeds way", have produced some of the most heart rending blues we've ever heard - and over a samba beat!

Friday, June 20, 2014 11:46:00 pm

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