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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

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

CD Review:Miguel Zenón - Identities Are Interchangeable.

Miguel Zenón Quartet: Zenón (alt); Luis Perdomo (pno); Hans Glawischnig (bs); Henry Cole (dms).
Identities Big Band: As above + Will Vinson, Michael Thomas (alt); Samir Zarif, John Ellis (ten); Chris Cheek (bar); Mat Jodrel, Michael Rodriguez, Alex Norris, Jonathon Powell (tpt); Ryan Keberle, Alan Ferber, Tim Albright (tmb).
(Review by Lance).
To say this is an unusual record is perhaps an understatement - it's unique! It's also compelling and absolutely brilliant. So if I, as a born and bred Englishman, like it, imagine how I'd feel if I was a Puerto Rican living in New York!
Zenón - four times winner of DB's Critics' Poll in the Rising Star Alto Sax Category (how many wins does it take to graduate from the Rising Star Category?!) - is well worthy of such acclaim. On the strength of this CD we can add composer, and not just as a rising star!
It's a concept album - just about every one is these days - but this is a concept's concept!
As well as his deep involvement with music, Zenón's native culture is also very much one of his driving forces, hence this album. The Puerto Rican born leader posed a question to his friends - a question he'd been asking of himself - "What does it mean to be Puerto Rican in 21st century NYC?"
Interspersed with the music, are answers from interviews with various New Yorkers of PR descent. 
Speech as music is one of the descriptions used and it is apt. The words blend naturally into the musical surrounds and the result is a marvellous kaleidoscope of tonal colours, cross rhythms - neither totally jazz nor totally Latin - but a wonderful hybrid of the two with a symphonic feeling too, as befits a six movement opus.
Apart from Zenón, whose playing has risen far beyond the Rising Cat, John Ellis blows great tenor on Same Flight, Tim Albright (trombone) hits the spot on First Language (Spanish or English?) and overall the band and the quartet do the music justice.
The quartet tour Europe next February taking in Holland (2), Switzerland (2), France (2), Italy (2) and Germany (3) - mmm... seems there's a country missing here and I don't mean Belgium or, even more surprisingly, Spain!
Miguel Zenón  - Identities Are Interchangeable is due for release on November 4.
Visit www.miguelzenon.com.
Lance.

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