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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

17972 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 293 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (April 22).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

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: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Darlington. 12 noon. Free (donations).
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: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. 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

Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Jazz Café Jam January 6, 2015

Mark Williams, Bradley Johnston (gtr); Paul Grainger (bs); Paul Wight (dms). + Damien Cook (ten); Graham Justin (tpt); Jordan Alonzo (alt); Chris Tate (pno); John Pope (bs); Ray Truscott (bs gtr);  Yuha Honami, Matthew MacKellar, Rob Bates (dms); Vocalists - nil!
(Review by Lance).
Even in the absence of piano supremo Gilligan this was a jumping jam - Hartley's couldn't have done better!
Mark Williams set the ball rolling before fellow guitarist Johnston joined him. Williams, who'd recently done 15 rounds with Steve Glendinning found a worthy opponent in young Bradley who's spent much time sparring with James Birkett. The two guitarists went for it on Things Ain't What they Used to be. Solos all round then the inevitable slugfest of fours as they traded, counter-punched and took it to the bell for a split decision in favour of ?
Chris Tate, a young man from Portsmouth, played Lady Be Good - he played it good and stayed on for most of the evening. Young Matthew once again reneged on his homework to sit in on drums - no easy task following Mr Wight - but, as ever, the boy also did good. Veteran 6 stringer Truscott replaced Grainger in the engine room for Miss Jones and Wave. Another young man - Jordan Alonzo (Newcastle Uni Jazz Orch) - stepped up along with Yuha, the rising star from the land of the rising sun, now behind the kit. 
Was it Anthropology or Scrapple? Can't remember now but what's in a name?
In a Mellow Tone (Ab) could have been mellower but Coltrane's Impressions hit the jackpot as did My Favourite Things. I was losing track of the comings and goings but John Pope was on bass and Rob Bates on drums, Tate retired to Portsmouth (let's hope he returns) and Mark was back for No More Blues and Chill Out a smooth Basie-like number that had some gorgeous velvety alto.
It couldn't get any better than this - oh yes it could!
I'd heard rave reports about the guys from the Theatre Royal Panto who blew the roof off The Globe a couple of weeks back - well two of them did the same here and this was from the ground floor!
Damien Cook had a Webster/Gonsalves blast on Cottontail ably assisted by Jordan who hung on in there without backpedalling. 8s and 4s - that were sometimes 7s and 5s - brought the number to a triumphant, not too chaotic, conclusion.
It couldn't get any better than this - oh yes it could!
Next up, one Graham Justin (or was it Justin Graham?) Another one of the pantomime pitmen, who claimed he could only play in the key of Bb so, naturally, the tune called was C Jam Blues!
Suddenly, all other keys were made redundant as he soared off over the rainbow to a land where only the chosen few are allowed in - Cat Anderson and Maynard Ferguson being two of the more prominent inhabitants.  
This must be some pantomime!
Lance.

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