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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, 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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

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: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

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

Roly Veitch-Jeremy McMurray Quartet with Steve Andrews @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. December 21

RolyVeitch (guitar & vocals), Jeremy McMurray (keyboards), Mick Shoulder (double bass), Adam Sinclair (drums) & Steve Andrews (tenor & soprano saxophones, clarinet)  + Ruth Lambert (vocals)
(Review by Russell).
Derby day (0-1), the shortest day, Blaydon Jazz Club day (evening). Black Bull regulars spent hours in the kitchen preparing, baking and cooking all manner of culinary delights (cakes, pies, quiche, sausages) for the traditional table of festive offerings. The music in store promised to be the icing on top.
Club promoter Roly Veitch invited old friend Steve Andrews to make the journey across the Pennines to play a few tunes in the company of Teesside pianist Jeremy McMurray, County Durham’s Mick Shoulder (double bass) and Tynesider Adam Sinclair (drums). A relaxed set of some rarely heard numbers together with one or two standards and a Father Christmas sack full of one liners from Andrews made for an enjoyable evening.
 I Want to be Happy opened the show with Andrews on soprano then tenor, then soprano once more. Veitch weighed in with a vocal on But Not for Me (Andrews clarinet). Andrews spoke of his admiration for Artie Shaw and played a couple of songs associated with him – Don’t Take Your Love From Me and My Heart Stood Still (clarinet and soprano). In between the two Take the A Train departed for Harlem calling at Metro Centre, Central Station and all stations Way Out West.
Andrews’ trademark robust, wide vibrato tenor told us about Sweet Lorraine and the first set drew to a close with Shoulder and Sinclair firing on all cylinders on Tangerine.
The interval cholesterol feast met with approval and a platter made its way through to the bar for the Black Sheep drinkers to sample the fayre. Donated raffle prizes were plentiful. So many were they the start of the second set was delayed a while as just about everyone was in with a chance of winning a prize!
A mid-winter Autumn Leaves (Jeremy McMurray, piano, Veitch, guitar) resumed music matters and birthday boy Veitch sang Look for the Silver Lining. Yes, R. Veitch thought he’d got away with it not mentioning his birthday. The room sang Happy Birthday (lots of smiling faces) and Andrews’ leisurely tenor suggested Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas before inviting Ruth Lambert to join the boys on the stand to sing All of Me (the jazz singer dying, but not quite daring, to swing it!). Short of a Santa hat, Lambert sang Santa Baby. Anytime Ruth, not just Christmas!
You Can Depend on Me (Andrews, tenor and soprano and a swift fours with Sinclair) and in no time last orders were about to be called. Lester Leaps In beat the bell.
Thanks were offered all round; to the superb musicians on the stand, to Mr Roly Veitch for  keeping Blaydon Jazz Club on the road for thirty-plus years and  to ‘Mine Host’ at the Black Bull, a bouquet of flowers.
A thrilling occasion is in prospect with the Strictly Smokin’ Big Band taking to the Black Bull’s modest stage when the club reconvenes on March 15. A dynamic big band in a small room. It has all the makings of being a contender for Gig of the Year 2015!   
Russell.
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