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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

Friday, October 31, 2014

Strictly Smokin' Big Band - Open Rehearsal October 30.

(Review by Kath J./ Photo courtesy of Kathryn Lowden)
The night started out with a small gathering of attentive listeners to Gerry Mulligan’s Catch as Catch Can.  Next came one of the most famous songs from the Big Band era, a tune written by Louis Prima in 1935,  Sing Sing Sing, bravely executed by the SSBB so early in the evening, but the musicians were quickly warming to their task, particularly Guy on Drums!   
After you’re Gone featuring Pete Tanton on Trumpet was followed by Gordon Goodwin's Count Bubba, and then a lively version of Caravan with Steve Summers now on soprano.  Incidentally this evening he had 3 saxes and a flute… I almost expected to see his Pandeiro and Cabasa arrive too for this number… he’s partial to a bit of Latin percussion as you may see at The Globe on November 15  when he joins a few other well-known local musicians for some Jazz Latin Groove…. I digress… but then I do love a bit of Latin too.The arrival of one of the big band’s singers brought a flurry of activity to set up a mic while Steve Summers displayed his versatility picking up his flute and Kieran Parnaby showed his skill on trombone during Frankie, Johnny and the Trombone Guy.  Lindsay Hannon started off with Orange Coloured Sky (Mk 1) but unfortunately sharing the amp with other instruments didn’t work, and only those on the front row could hear her lovely rendition, having turned up a bit Lindsay went on to sing The More I See You but the mic volume still wasn’t great; Lindsay went off to get the portable PA from Michel Lamb’s car, and set that up while the band finished the first set with, Who Could Ask for Anything More.
Set two commenced with Horace Silver’s,  Song For My Father and by now the numbers in the audience had swelled so that the band were now outnumbered, and the soloists were instructed that they now had to stand up to solo, with band leader Michael Lamb showing us how it’s done.  Lindsay took another crack at Orange Coloured Sky (Mk 2) and this time everyone got to hear this smashing tune, she followed on with Nice Work If You Can Get It before the band interjected with Buddy Rich’s Big Swing Face.  Lindsay’s That Old Black Magic proved that sometimes the Band Leader just needs to get a bit right, and the band returned to bar 106 having gained permission from the audience to work out a niggle … Job done and they moved on to  another Gerry Mulligan tune, The Red Door.  Lindsay came back on to sing her beautiful version of Angel Eyes and the final number of the night saw the line-up change to 3 tenor saxes for Sax Ally, with Steve Summers, swapping to tenor to join Paul Gowland and Jamie Toms for some saxophone banter between the boys. 
Kath.
P.S. Come January and Steve Summer’s alto goes off for a service and re-pad,  so watch for the swap around between 1st Alto and 1st Tenor Saxes.. interesting times!

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