Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,086 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 950 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Nov. 7) 20.

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

November

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: JANE @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 12: MoonMot + Jack Banjo’s Snackwall @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 12: Ratio: Swingin’ Through the Decades @ The Forum, Darlington. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £10.00. A charity fundraiser.
Thu 12: Look Left @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Thu 12: Michael Woods @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Acoustic blues.

Fri 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Giles Strong (guitar); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 13: Lapwing Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Richard Herdman, Nick Bagnell, Paula Whitty.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED! Returns next week (Fri 20th).
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Hexham Lantern Parade, Bandstand, Sele, Hexham. 6:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Sharp Collective @ Dry Water Arts, Amble. 7:00pm.
Fri 13: East Coast Swing Band @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm.
Fri 13: Guisborough Big Band @ Saltburn Golf Club. 7:30pm. Tickets: £15.00 (inc. pie & peas

Sat 14: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. £95.00. Day 1/2. SOLD OUT!
Sat 14: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 14: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf); £11.00 concs (inc. bf).
Sat 14: Red Kites Jazz @ Staiths Café, Gateshead. 7:00pm.
Sat 14: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Tweed Gallery, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Sun 15: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. Day 2/2. SOLD OUT!
Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ The Waiting Room, Eaglescliffe. 7:00pm. £48.18 (to include dinner); £17.43 (concert only).
Sun 15: Sarah Gillespie & Chris Montague @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00.
Sun 15: Liane Carroll @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Solo performance. SOLD OUT!

Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Jacob Egglestone, Paul Grainger, Joe Deans.
Tue 17: Grammy Season (Laubrock/Seabrook/Lovato/Rainey) @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Monday, October 06, 2014

Blue-Eyed Hawk @ the Bridge Hotel. October 5

Lauren Kinsella (voice/keys), Alex Roth (guitar, effects, voice), Laura Jurd (trumpet, synth, voice), Corrie Dick (drums, percussion, voice).
(Review by Lance/photo courtesy of Ken Drew).
Third appearance by Blue-Eyed Hawk within these hallowed pages, second showing in Newcastle by Kinsella this week and a first rate performance at last night's Splinter session at the Bridge Hotel.
Hugh Cochrane gave a fair assessment of their début CD Under the Moon, I was present at the CD launch at Kings Place last month and, even as I type, Steve H may have words winging their way to me re Lauren's gig at Kings Hall on Thursday (the girl certainly moves amongst the crowned heads!).
The gig at Kings Place scored on the grounds that each member of the quartet stepped up to the mic and gave the audience a snippet or two about the pieces they individually wrote.
Very little of that last night. However, hearing and seeing the band within the confines of the pub as opposed to row ZZ in the Sage-like hall down at Kings Place was a totally different ball game! At KP I was at an enjoyable concert, here I was in the centre of a musical maelstrom  - Living in the Fast Lane (final number before number 27 bus lured me away - thank God the driver hadn't heard it!) was just that and Somewhere (Over the Rainbow) gave a different take to the tale of the Wizard of Oz.. In this version Dorothy is blown to buggery and it is the Wicked Witch of the West who runs off with the Tin Man.
Kinsella is indeed a sorceress capable of bewitching the listener with her flawless pitching and the vocal/trumpet passages are sheer magic. Jurd, laid back, played trumpet and keys (sometimes simultaneously) quite restrained albeit not without the occasional flourish that tells you that behind the Milesian exterior there is a Dizzy fighting to be free! Roth and Dick contributed to the proceedings admirably, the former, not content with merely (merely!) playing guitar, also concocted sound potions using an ebow (I think) and fiddling with foot pedals whilst Dick varied his attack using sticks (sometimes 2 in each hand) and mallets as well as changing cymbals more times than most people change their socks in a week!
It was different.
It was an experience.
It was excellent.
Lance.
at

2 comments :

Dave Sayer said...

I was at last nights gig and maelstrom is the most apt description. It was exciting, provocative stuff. I listened to the album on the way home and decided that this is what they need on the next Eddie Stobart Trucking CD.
Cheers
Dave

Monday, October 06, 2014 12:36:00 pm
Ken Drew (on F/b) said...

Spot-on review Lance. Spellbinding and raucous all in the same performance! Great stuff, and a real treat to see them in Newcastle.

Monday, October 06, 2014 6:46:00 pm

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