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Bebop Spoken There

Xhosa Cole: ''Monk was unapologetically himself". (Jazzwise, February 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

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.

Mon 03: Andy Watt & Dan Rogers @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance. Jazz, blues, folk etc.
Mon 03: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 04: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.
Tue 04: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Phillips, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.
Tue 04: Dilutey Juice + Life Aquatics Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Wed 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 05: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 05: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

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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