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.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Claire Martin & Montpelier Cello Quartet @ Sage Gateshead. Sept. 22

Claire Martin (vcl); Dan James (also double bass); Sarah Davison; Joe Giddey; Sirial Hugh-Jones (cellos).
(Review by Lance).
I'd never heard a cello quartet and in truth I haven't heard that many solo cellists in recent years. What a sheltered life I've led! So, given my misspent senior years, how would tonight pan out? Well I guess there were others with reservations about this concert as Hall Two was sparsely populated and normally a Claire Martin gig pulls the punters - deservedly so as there are few British jazz singers of her calibre.
Perhaps some decided on the evening's other attraction - Lloyd Wright with James Harrison at the Cherry Tree - I was torn between the two myself. For those who didn't do either then the only word I can think of is SAD.
Last night at Sage Gateshead was superb and so was Claire, cellos notwithstanding, she gave a professional performance that clarified her position as numero uno.
My Ship (Kurt Weill?) isn't heard as often as most standards - it should be, providing the singer can bring the feeling to it that Ms Martin does! Now I know why we don't hear it that often! Too Much in Love to Care (inspired by Carmen McRae); Night and Day (James arranged this one and also played bass); one of the less hackneyed songs from Porgy and Bess, My Man's Gone and a knock-out version of Cole Porter's Let's Do It. just how many verses did Porter write in this lyric? I'm sure I've heard hundreds of different ones! Makin' Whoopee complete with the verse was another delight (the cellos played a snatch of the Bridal March!) A Geoffrey Keezer arrangement of Like a Feather Falls (I think); Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World and Carly Simon's You're So Vain meant our cup was overflowing  and there was still more to come!
A tribute to Frank (he'd have been 100 next year) with All the Way; 'Round Midnight; Two Grey Rooms; Joni's Lost For Words; She's Leaving Home (one of the better Beatle numbers) by this time I'd stopped taking notes and instead just let the sound of four cellos and a voice envelop me.
The aforementioned violoncelli had a couple of features sans vocal and sounded good.
A grand evening that deserved greater support.
Lance. 
at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive