Bebop Spoken There

David Bailey (photographer): ''When I was 16 I wanted to look like Chet Baker. He was my idol - him and James Dean.'' (Talking Pictures documentary : Four beats to the bar and no cheating April, 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

18445 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 309 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 20 ) 43,

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 23: FILM: Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 6:15pm. Dir. Robert Clem (2025).
Thu 23: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 23: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 23: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra & Musicians Unlimited @ ARC, Stockton. 8:00pm. £19.00. inc. bf.

Fri 24: Noel Dennis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. Dennis, Mark Willams, Andy Champion. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Trio Grand @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Ben Vince + The Exu @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £14.33., £11.16, £8.00. A ‘jazz adjacent’ gig!
Fri 24: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £13.20 (inc. bf).
Fri 24: TBC @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.

Sat 25: Giles Strong Quartet @ Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Sat 25: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf).
Sat 25: ‘Portrait in Evans’: Noa Levy & Alan Barnes w. Paul Edis Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £24.00. Sage Two. ‘Portrait in Evans’. Levy, Barnes, Edis, Andy Champion & Steve Hanley.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 26: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ni Maxine + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sun 26: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 26: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00., £7.00.

Mon 27: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: House of Blues @ the Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £7.00., £5.00. advance. A student-led jazz session. ‘House of Blues’ is, perhaps, a misnomer.
Mon 27: Littlewood Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00 + bf, £7.00. + bf.

Tue 28: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:00pm. £10.00. + £1.00. bf. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Hackney Colliery Band @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. £25.00.

Friday, November 07, 2014

Today @ Classic Jazz Party

I've got an absolutely gorgeous weekend ahead  at the Village Hotel, Cobalt Business Park, nr Shiremoor, North Tyneside - never mind the weather - it's the (late) Mike Durham's Classic Jazz Party organised this year by Patti Durham with the able assistance of Keith Nichols, Frans Sjöström and several others.
It's a mouthwatering feast for lovers of classic jazz as today's program will testify to.
12 noon – 12.30pmTribute to Mike.
Spats Langham leads a re-creation of his Rhythm Boys – a group lovingly crafted by Mike Durham, complementary to his beloved West Jesmond Rhythm Kings. This music and song – indeed the entire Jazz Party – is a fitting tribute to all that Mike achieved for Classic Jazz over many decades. Enrico Tomasso (trumpet); Graham Hughes (trombone); Matthias Seuffert (reeds); Keith Nichols (piano); Spats Langham (Banjo, guitar, vocal); John Hallam (bass); Frans Sjöström (bass saxophone); Josh Duffee (drums).


12.30pm – 1.30pm: What Bix could have played.
Biographies of Bix Beiderbecke list many tunes he played in clubs, concerts and on broadcasts – most of which he never recorded. David Boeddinghaus leads a session which explores and performs for you some of this lost repertoire. Andy Schumm  (cornet); Kris Kompen (trombone); Mauro Porro (reeds); David Boeddinghaus (piano); Frans Sjöström (bass saxophone) Josh Duffee (drums).
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1.30pm – 2.30pmAmericans in Paris.
Paris consistently had a high population of visiting U.S. performers in the 1920s and 1930s, while we in the U.K. missed out on hearing most of them, especially in the later years. Martin Litton directs a showcase of what you might have heard in Paris in those heady, carefree times. Enrico Tomasso, Duke Heitger,       Bent Persson (trumpets); Alistair Allan (trombone); Matthias Seuffert, Thomas Winteler (reeds); Emma Fisk (violin); Martin Litton (piano); Spats Langham (guitar); Henry Lemaire (bass); Richard Pite (drums). Janice Day, vocal.
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2.30pm – 3.00pm: A Challenge to Louis.
Very early on, some trumpet players actually tried to ‘out-blow’ the great Louis Armstrong! Soon however, others became inspired by his vast talent – which often brought fascinating results. With introductions by Keith Nichols,  Menno Daams and Bent Persson will illustrate several of these ‘challenges’.  Menno Daams, Bent Persson  (trumpets); Graham Hughes (trombone); Mauro Porro (reeds); Morten Gunnar Larsen (piano); Henry Lemaire (banjo, guitar); Malcolm Sked (bass, brass bass); Nicholas Ball (drums).
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3.00pm – 3.30pmThe New York Gang.
Musicians who could sight-read music yet also play ‘Hot’ were in great demand in the recording studios of New York. Frans introduces this session commemorating some of them, including, naturally, his own hero, Adrian Rollini. Duke Heitger (trumpet); Kris Kompen (trombone); Lars Frank (reeds); Morton Gunnar Larsen (piano); Jacob Ullberger (banjo, guitar); Frans Sjöström (bass saxophone); Nicholas Ball (drums).
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3.30pm – 4.00pmSpats’ Little Mystery Band.
Don’t worry: the Mystery here will be swiftly resolved (split infinitive or not), and will provide you with thirty minutes of delectable ‘chamber jazz’ by Spats and his colleagues. Spats Langham (banjo, guitar, vocals); Lars Frank (reeds); Morton Gunnar Larsen (piano); Phil Rutherford (brass bass); Josh Duffee (drums).
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4.00pm – 5.00pmPaul Whiteman – King of Jazz.
One of Mike Durham’s many great achievements was to present, at the prestigious Sage venue in 2006, a full-scale Paul Whiteman Tribute concert. An audience of over 1,000 heard original Whiteman scores, meticulously transcribed and edited by Keith Nichols. This afternoon, enjoy the same airy vistas of symphonic jazz! Keith Nichols conducts and directs: Enrico Tomasso, Menno Daams, Andy Schumm (trumpets); Kris Kompen, Alistair Allan, Graham Hughes (trombones); Matthias Seuffert, Jean-François Bonnel, Lars Frank, Claus Jacobi, Mauro Porro (reeds); Emma Fisk, Dawn Allen, Jessica Graham (violins); David Boeddinghaus  (piano); Martin Wheatley (banjo, guitar); Malcolm Sked (bass) Phil Rutherford (brass bass); Frans Sjöström (bass saxophone); Josh Duffee (drums, percussion). Spats Langham, vocal.
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DINNER
7.30pm – 8.00pmThe Professor – Martin Litton.
You may not know this, but Martin does The Times crossword every day. In a more advanced way than the relationships of letters and words, he creates jazz piano of many kinds, each of which is possessed of impeccable musical structure, lucidity, and swing.
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8.00pm – 9.00pmHarlem Nightlife.
Fresh from his Paul Whiteman triumph, Keith takes us on a musical visit to North Manhattan IslandNew York, where since the 1920s  Harlem has been the hub of African American cultural and musical life.
Menno Daams, Bent Persson (trumpets); Kris Kompen (trombone); Jean-François Bonnel, Lars Frank, Claus Jacobi (reeds); Keith Nichols (piano); Spats Langham (guitar, banjo); Phil Rutherford (brass bass); Josh Duffee (drums). Janice Day, vocal.
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9.00pm – 9.30pmAll the Helens.
There a number of distinguished swing and jazz singers who share the name Helen. Although not called Helen herself, you will certainly enjoy this tribute to their illustrious careers thanks to the lovely voice of Janice Day complemented by the versatile piano of Martin Litton. Also backing Janice are Thomas Winteler (reeds); Martin Wheatley (guitar, banjo) , Malcolm Sked (bass, brass bass) and Nicholas Ball (drums).
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9.30pm – 10.00pmThe Poolshark.
If music failed to provide an income for Jelly-Roll Morton in his early days, he called upon his great abilities as a pool player. First losing on purpose, he would then take his opponents for a ride! Bent has made a selection of seldom-heard later 1930s Morton recordings. Bent Persson (trumpet); Graham Hughes (trombone); Jean-François Bonnel, Thomas Winteler (reeds); Morten Gunnar Larsen (piano); Jacob Ullberger (banjo, guitar); Henry Lemaire (bass); Nicholas Ball (drums).
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10.00pm – 11.00pmThe Nichols – Duffee All Star Orchestra.
This splendid line up will play a wide variety of special arrangements or transcriptions by Keith and Josh. Mostly of 1920s repertoire, some were made for CD projects, and have never been performed ‘live’ before! Items by McKinney’s Cotton Pickers, Frank Trumbauer and Fletcher Henderson may be included. Enrico Tomasso, Duke Heitger, Andy Schumm (trumpets); Kris Kompen, Alistair Allan (trombones); Matthias Seuffert, Jean-François Bonnel, Lars Frank, Claus Jacobi (reeds); Keith Nichols (piano); Spats Langham (banjo, guitar); Malcolm Sked (bass, brass bass); Josh Duffee (drums).
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11.00pm – ????: Victory Pub Jam.
Hot-foot from the Nichols-Duffee session, Andy Schumm directs the first of the free-blowing jam sessions which have become an indispensable tradition of the Jazz Party. Andy Schumm (Trumpet); Graham Hughes (trombone); Matthias Seuffert (reeds); Martin Litton (piano); Jacob Ullberger (banjo, guitar); Frans Sjöström (bass saxophone); Nicholas Ball (drums).
Lance.

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