Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (DownBeat May, 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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

May

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Hey Remember This @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 14: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Philip Larkin’s Jazz Experiment.
Thu 14: Jerron Paxton @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb country blues.
Thu 14: Solcade @ the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. 7:00pm. EP launch. Rivkala & co..
Thu 14: Jacob Egglestone @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums) & guests.
Thu 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Strictly Smokin' Big Band @ The Tyne Bar Newcastle August 16

Michael Lamb (MD), Pete Tanton, Tom Hill, Dick Stacey (tpts); Mark Ferris, Steve Grey, Mark Fletcher, John Flood (tmb); Steve Summers, Sue Ferris (alt); Jamie Toms, Paul Gowland (ten); Niall Armstrong (bar); Charles Harrison (pno); Pawel Jedrejewski (gtr); Michael Whent (bs); Guy Swinton (dms); James Hedley/Lindsay Hannon (vcls).
(Review by Lance).
Who in their right mind would arrange an open air gig in August! August in Newcastle? Not exactly Autumn in New York - more like Summer in Siberia. The wind howled, the audience shivered and the band blew - did they not!
22 tried and tested numbers that somehow sound different every time you hear them. Vocals by James and Lindsay and some fantastic solos made this an afternoon to remember.
To list all the highlights would take 22 pages so, in no particular order, I liked the dramatic band intro to James' relaxed vocal on It Had to be You, Lindsay's bluesy Spoonful, Sue's alto solos - more used to hearing her on tenor or baritone - Steve and Paul battling it out on Oye Como Va likewise on In The Mood just some of the delicacies served up. Jamie popped up here and there, Pete and Michael took care of the trumpet solos whilst the trombone blending that brought in James "Bobby Darin" Hedley's version of Beyond the Sea impressed a trombone player standing next to me.
The rhythm section were sound with Drummer Swinton adeptly coping with the announcements whilst juggling the music into some kind of windswept order and soloing on Skindeep. Maybe a hundred more things I could write about but the fact that the audience stayed - some danced, some drank, some did both and all applauded - summed it up.
"High voltage gig" remarked a lady of my acquaintance and I'm sure Michael Caine (top right of the photo) would  have agreed.
The Quaylink journey back to town with Brenda, Joan and Julie rounded off a Super Saturday.
Catch them again (the band that is and maybe the ladies!) at the Millstone (South Gosforth) August 28, Hoochie Coochie Sept. 21 and the Black Swan Arts Centre Dec. 20.
Lance.
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1 comment :

Patti (on F/b) said...

We braved the elements in typical Geordie ways - and didn't we enjoy ourselves! An ace gig ....

Sunday, August 17, 2014 4:56:00 pm

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