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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17744 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 64 of them this year alone and, so far, 64 this month (Jan. 26).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 12 noon-2:00pm (two sets). £12.00. admission (card or cash at the door). Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums). Note change of venue, no longer at Mrs M’s as advertised, the concert will be in the Old Library (Bishop Auckland Jazz’s regular venue). Important! It’s a ‘BYOB’ arrangement - ie bring your own booze (and/or tea, coffee, soft drinks).
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Café Orkestar @ Café Under the Spire, Gateshead. 6:00pm. ‘Klezmer, Gypsy Jazz, Balkan & More!’.
Fri 31: Nothing in Rambling @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £10.00. + bf. Country blues duo.
Fri 31 Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Wylam Institute. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. + £1.50. bf.
Fri 31: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £10.00 + bf. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.
Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00 Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 31: SwanNek + Rivkala @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. SwanNek’s new single launch gig. Pilgrim, formerly Hoochie Coochie.
Fri 31: King Bees @ Blues Underground; Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.

February 2025

Sat 01: Alan Barnes & John Hallam with the Tom Kincaid Trio @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - Cy Coleman’s Witchcraft. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Darling Dollies @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Vocal trio.
Sat 01: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 01: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: Rockin’ Turner Brothers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Western swing etc.

Sun 02: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 02: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 02: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free (donations).
Sun 02: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 02: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:15-7:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 02: Jive Aces @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Sun 02: John Pope + Andy Champion + Ian Paterson @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. ‘Subterranean Explorations 1’. Three (half hour) solo bass sets.
Sun 02: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

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

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Jazz Latin Groove @ The Globe 15/11/14

Steve Summers (saxes/perc); Alan Law (pno); Steve Glendinning (gtr); Paul Grainger (bs); Tim Johnston (dms) and Debra Milne & Paulo Torres (vcl).
(Review by Kath J /Photo courtesy of Ken Drew.)
The Globe was packed out on arrival, with hardly a place to sit, but luckily Lance had bagged a table at the front and there was room for Paul and I to join him for this latest Jazz Co-op gig.  Lance and I tossed a coin as to who would do the write-up and I lost… it also meant that Lance could make an early exit to catch some of Ruth and Dean’s Gig at The Café.
Drinks arrived and the band struck up with a Latin vamp into Wave, Steve Summers adding that authentic sound of a Pandeiro, the first of several percussion instruments that appeared over the course of the evening.  No More Blues brought out the Cabasa and the musicians were out in force showing what a wonderful sound they can make together, it would be difficult to pick out one above the rest…. A superbly talented line-up and each one displayed their skills over the course of the evening. 

Paulo Torres then came to the stage to sing in his mother tongue, Portuguese, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Desafinado, which translated means ‘slightly out of tune’.  Congas introduced a delightful Spooky, sang well by Debra, who was well dressed for the occasion, a flowing floaty top and flower in her hair.  Next came one of my favourites, Chick Corea’s fusion of Concierto de Aranjuez – Spain, introduction by Stevie Glendinning on Guitar, lovely but my all-time favourite was the double bass introduction I heard last year from Paul Grainger… just heartbreakingly beautiful!  In keeping with our Latin theme the next song was sung by Debra in Spanish, Aquelas Coisas Todas translates to All Those Things.  A cover version of Consider Me Gone saw the early departure of Lance… Exit Stage Left.  The finale of the first set was Horace  Silvers’s Señor Blues, and a beautiful ending with a bowed bass.. Superb!

After a break where musicians caught up and made arrangements and the audience refilled glasses and chatted to friends the second set commenced with a number that Debra Milne put words to, Killer Joe.  She moved onto Living In The Past - a Jethro Tull cover and from there switched back to a gentle Tres Palabras, another song which saw the talents of each musician during solos… I love the Nat King Cole version of this song.  Another nice bit of Latin percussion for the next song Afro Blue saw Steve Summer’s latest addition an Udu Drum known as a Udongo , I was desperate to have a go, and at the end of the night I got my wish… wow I want one! 
Paulo Torres returned to sing another Portuguese number - Antonio Carlos Jobim’s  Meditação (Meditation) its great to hear the mother tongue numbers from this singer.  Chick Corea is popular tonight and the next number was Debra singing 500 Miles High… not an easy song to sing.  Temptation was introduced by Debra as having a bass solo start from the ‘luminescent’ Paul Grainger, who won the prize for best shirt… a bright yellow pattern as befitted a Latin Jazz evening.

The grand finale of the night went to a superb drum introduction from Tim Johnston, mallets beating out the introduction to a very different version of Caravan, I loved the change of feel and there were times that I wondered, if you had come in part way through would you have recognised the swinging sections of this tune.  What a fab end to a great evening of Latin Jazz. - Kath J.

1 comment :

Lance said...

A highlight of my part of the evening was the unison passage between guitar, voice and sax on Spain. That was like trying to cross the street during the Bull Run at Pamplona - amazingly the made it with the minimum of gore!

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