Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, 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

17957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 278 of them this year alone and, so far, 34 this month (April 14).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Tue 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

Sat 26: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 26: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. Tickets: £12.00. + bf. Duo performance.
Sat 26: Neil Cowley Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.50.
Sat 26: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.

Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: ???

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, January 26, 2015

Durham University Big Band @ Darlington Jazz Club. January 25

Dan Garel , Felicity Evans (alt);  Matt McKernan , John Somerton(ten); Naomi Tansey (bar); Noah Lawrence, Sam Clark, Rasmus Borowski, Charles Price (tpt);
Nat Jackson, Chris Jones (MD), Joshua Harper, Luke Bentley (tmb); Matt Jacobs (pno); Ollie Farley (gtr); Jonathan Berry (bs); Tristan Bacon (dms); Laura Paul,Will Lavelle (vcl).
(Review by Russell)
Two big occasions are on the horizon for Durham University Big Band – a showcase gig at the Pizza Express, Dean Street, London and the little matter of the defence of their title at the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival. Darlington Jazz Club extended an invitation to the band to make a first appearance at the Forum Music Centre and it was duly accepted.
The Forum’s main hall was two thirds full as the orchestra took to the stage right on time. Apple Honey set the pace and it didn’t slacken. A Reuben Fowler number featured one of the band’s two vocalists; Laura Paul sang brilliantly (voice as orchestral instrument, left-field Norma Winstone). Without doubt Ms Paul is an early front runner in Bebop Spoken Here’s Performance of the Year category!  JJ Wheeler’s Homage – to namesake Kenny Wheeler – reaffirmed the band’s welcome move from standard swing material (top-flight piano and soprano sax solos). Homage (the band’s Durham Distillery Composition Prize entry) was something of a run-through as the band will effectively premiere it at the Pizza Express on February 15.
The interval: crisis – no cask ale! A bottle of Brown Ale the best on offer. The raffle (a tasty looking Anita O’Day CD went elsewhere), a bit crack and the second set opened in frightening style with Whiplash! Thankfully Fletcher (JK Simmons) wasn’t lurking in the shadows threatening to unleash his chilling one-liner Not quite my tempo. The Durham musicians have been well-schooled – tempo, sections, soloists, material. The band’s ace rhythm section didn’t miss a trick (excellent guitar and piano solos, Ollie Farley and Matthew Jacobs), brass and reeds flourished freeing soloists to do their thing notably Dan Garel (alto and soprano). The band’s thing was ‘jazz plus’. The ‘plus’ being hip-hop (J Dilla), nu-soul (the brilliant Laura Paul) and a challenging chart from the pen of Darcy James Argue. And then there was Ben Cottrell’s arrangement of Radiohead’s 15 Step.
A varied programme – The Lady is a Tramp featured the band’s other singer Will Lavelle – with the emphasis on the contemporary was commendable. The Durham University Big Band knows what it’s doing. Will it have the courage to present an all-contemporary set at the Great North Big Band Jazz Festival? One way to find out…get along to one of the best events of the year (March 6-8) at North Shore, Charles Street, Sunderland. There is ample parking, St Peter’s Metro station is five minutes’ walk, so put the dates in that new diary. If the Durham guys don’t win on the day (Saturday 7 March) you must be there to hear the band that dethrones them because they will be something special.      
Russell.   

No comments :

Blog Archive