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Bebop Spoken There

Francis Tulip: ''Music speaks louder than words''. (Jazzwise, June 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

17,550 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 514 of them this year alone and, so far, 92 this month (June 28).

From This Moment On ...

JULY 2025

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: The Hopper-Watson Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £10.00. + £1.00. bf.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 10: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Soloists, Orchestras & Hot Fives.
Thu 10: Side Café Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 11: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church, Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00. A Bishop Auckland Jazz promotion. New venue (second Friday in the month)!
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Beehive, Earsdon NE25 0SZ. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Fiona Finden Jazz Express @ Flash House Brewery, North Shields NE30 1DS. 8:00pm. Free.

Sat 12: Jazz Stage @ Mouth of the Tyne Festival. From 12 noon. Free. Vieux Carré Jazzmen (12 noon); Rendezvous Jazz (1:00pm); Mississippi Dreamboats (2:00pm); Classic Swing (3:00pm); Abbie Finn Trio (4:00pm). Stage adjacent to Tynemouth Priory.
Sat 12: Making Music Seminar: Latin American Music v. Music of Latin America @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 1:00pm. £15.00. (£5.00. online). Jason Holcomb, Alix Shepherd & Carlos Luis Rivera.
Sat 12: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ Lovaine Community Garden, North Shields. 7:00pm (doors 6:40pm). £6.00. Limited places, booking essential (via the Community Garden website). BYOF&D.
Sat 12: Hot Club du Nord @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Hall Two.
Sat 12: Sleep Suppressor @ Repas 7 by Night, Berwick. 8:00pm.
Sat 12: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle.8:00pm. Free. ‘Swing Jazz Guitar’. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 13: Jazz Stage @ Mouth of the Tyne Festival. From 11:00am. Free. Trilogy of Four (11:00am); East Coast Jazzmen (12:10pm); Delta Prophets Trio (1:20pm); House of the Black Gardenia (2:30pm); Mouth of the Tyne All Stars (3:40pm). Stage adjacent to Tynemouth Priory.
Sun 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free. ‘The Bandstand Sessions’.
Sun 13: Julie Dexter @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:30pm (doors). £20.00. ‘The Cluny Matinee Jazz Club’.
Sun 13: ’58 Jazz Collective, Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 2:00pm. Tea Dance. SOLD OUT! A Durham Brass Festival event.
Sun 13: Ferg Kilsby @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn); Luis Verde (alto sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Hirst (drums).
Sun 13: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Sloth Racket @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club (1:00pm). Free.
Mon 14: Brass Bash @ Hardwick Park, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Mon 14: Brass Bash @ The Story, Mount Oswald, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.

Tue 15: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Sluice. Tel: 0191 237 3697. 12:30pm. ‘July Jazz Barbecue’. Tickets: £15.00.
Tue 15: Brass Bash @ Hackworth Park, Shildon, Co. Durham. 6:00-9:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Tue 15: Brass Bash @ The Witham, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Tue 15: Julian Lage Trio @ 1856 Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm . Lage (guitar); Jorge Roeder (double bass); Joey Barron (drums).
Tue 15: Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra @ The Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm.
Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.

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

Monday, December 22, 2014

Harlem Hot Stompers @ Boston Spa - Dec. 20

John Ronan (tmb), Bill Smith (cornet), John Reade (pno), Ian McCann (bjo/gtr), Grant Taylor (dms), Dave Parr (bs/tuba), Dave Thomas (cl)
(Review by Ray)
Time again to listen out for Santa's sleigh bringing goodies ......remember ...if you believe ...you can hear the bells on his sleigh ....no bells tonight, but a festive treat nevertheless as the boys from Manchester crossed the Pennines to provide a packed house at Boston Spa with jazz of a festive nature at the annual party bash.
Suitably attired in Santa hats the guys kicked off with Closer Walk with Thee then That's a Plenty taking us back to the spiritually uplifting Won't be Here Too Long. Back to trad ....a couple of features ....Dave Thomas on vocals with Button up Your Overcoat and John Reade a piano solo on Wildcat Blues. Jelly Roll Morton's FroggimoreRag took us up-tempo and into You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now, then Down by the Riverside saw the first audience participation of the evening & took us to the break.
As befits a Christmas party at the Spa, the food just kept coming ....a visual cornucopia fit for the occasion ....though after over indulging we were not fit for much ...but ...that's what Christmas is all about !
Anyone who knows the Stompers would recall that they sadly lost leader Tony Foulkes 18 months earlier ....since then, Banjo man Ian has led them forward. On returning for the second set, resident archivist John Ronan gave us the good tidings that it was 45 years to the day that the original Stompers played their first gig ...not a bad record at all ....you can see how they survive in today's scene ....Bill Smith led the line in the style of an old fashioned centre-forward .....with wingers John & Dave excelling in providing support to him ....and the half back rhythm line keeping it all tight at the back.
Kicking off the second set in fine style, we moved through Acker's Goodnight Sweet Prince to Buddy Bolden's Buddy's Habits then a beautiful Dave Thomas solo, Burgundy Street. A rousing Black and Blue saw us safely to the Raffle. No prizes for us, but the musical gems kept coming .... Jelly Roll’s Doctor Jazz then it was our turn ....the hall echoing to Carols as John on piano led us through the old standards ....Rudolph ...Silent Night ...Winter Wonderland ....White Christmas ...and finally Jingle Bells. Going Home was a non too subtle hint that the end was nigh and sadly we bade farewell to our friends at the Spa and braved the cold of the night.
Traditionally, at the close of the year, we make resolutions ....if you have not yet visited the Jazz at the Spa, then you really need to put it high on your 2015 wish-list - the jazz there is of the highest class, it’s every Saturday, and it's pay on the door - so it's a few miles down the road? ....the simple fact is that nowadays we in, the Newcastle area, no longer have a venue which regularly attracts the bands that the Spa does ....we are starved of regular good jazz of this type ...the first three months alone see Savannah Jazz; Alan Barnes and John Hallam; Mart Rodgers Manchester Jazz; Frank Brookers Happy Chappies; T J Johnson Band and Amy Roberts ......fabulous Jazz !   
Take a look at the website ..www.jazzinthespa.co.uk 
Happy Christmas everyone ....keep jazz alive ....
Ray R.

2 comments :

Lance said...

Thanks for that excellent review Ray really created the atmosphere of Boston Spa.
However, I think you are doing Newcastle and the north-east down. The Vieux Carré Jazzmen, The Maine Street Jazzmen, The Tees Valley Stompers keep the trad flag flying with weekly gigs. The Whitley Bay Classic Jazz Party brings in bands from all over the world. Alan Barnes was recently at the Jazz Café, John Hallam is not unknown at Blaydon and Blaydon supremo Roly Veitch is not unknown at Boston Spa either. Currently, I would suggest that the north-east has never been better catered for by bands of all styles.

Ray R said...

My point is Lance that we have no local venues now attracting quality bands regularly from outside the region. People vote with their feet ...we support the local clubs (Fell, Ashington etc) but like many others whilst we appreciate the quality of the local bands, we simply don't wish to watch them every week ....we crave choice. Audience stats say it all ....Spa 80 to 120 weekly, Darlington 60, Trinity was 80+, Saville 70 ....watching such as French bands Hot Antics, Red Hot Reedwarmers, Paris Washboard, mixed with local talent like Swing City Trio & Hot Club Trio. Contrast that to local clubs ...Blaydon was 25 probably 40 now, Ashington 35, Springwell 30, Fell was 25. The only high audience locally is NCRO's annual Caedman Hall gig ...that can get 200 I think, so there is a bigger audience out there, they need the attraction of a mix of local & national names to get them through the door

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