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

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.

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: 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.

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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