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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, April 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

17957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 278 of them this year alone and, so far, 34 this month (April 14).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Sun 20: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 20: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 20: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 21: Newcastle Record Fair @ Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle. 10:00am. Going in search of the Buddy Bolden cylinder…
Mon 21: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

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

Monday, July 07, 2014

Les Oiseaux Fois @ Bridge Hotel. July 6

Peter Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Jeff Armstrong (dms).
(Review by Lance/Photo  courtesy of Ken Drew)
After watching the spills and thrills of Le Tour making its way from York to Sheffield what better way to spend an evening than listening to the above three musicians who kept the Francophilian theme alive by sailing under Le nom de plume of Les Oiseaux Fois.
Tres bien! Maillot Jaune et chapeaux!
This was indeed a podium-worthy performance by a trio who should have been playing to a capacity audience. However, c'est la (jazz) vie.
Those of us who made the effort were well satisfied with the first rate musicianship served up by. le tout ensemble.
Fats Waller, legend has it, remarked that "God is in the house" when Art Tatum entered some smoky dive in New York. He may not have used the same analogy had it been Pete Gilligan, possibly referring to him instead as "The Devil Incarnate". And a devil he is at the keyboard attacking it like a man possessed - possessed of an incredible talent that is.
Appropriately, the opening number was a Gilligan original - Incarnation. Paul Grainger, soloed impressively on the Song is You with Jeff Armstrong bossa novaring on brushes. Coltrane's Like Some had a spiky cymbal intro from Jeff whilst Jim Hall's Waltz New featured a rhapsodic lead-in from Pete. Some Brubeck, an excellent Swim (composed by Paul) and the always a winner, Nica's Dream brought the set to a close.
The whole world and his dog should have been here for this one but there were big happenings over at Blaydon, Festivities in the Vale of Ouseburn and the Northern Monkey Brass Band had been launching CDs at Hoochie so I guess the jazz population were somewhat stretched today.
In the second set I caught Chick Corea's Amanda's Rumba, Petrucciani's  September Satin and the 27 bus.
A great day all round.
Lance.
PS: I'm told the the second set also brought in a nice arrangement of Blue Rondo à la Turk (Dave Brubeck, although I [my informant] was seeing Keith Emerson in The Nice!) and ended with a lovely arrangement and rendition of Caravan – so it ended on a high !!!  

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