Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 2026)

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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 12: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: The ’58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club, West Park, 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 18: Brand New Heavies @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Wed 18: 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

Sunday, February 08, 2015

Jason Isaacs @ Hoochie Coochie.

Jason Isaacs (vcl/ten); Lewis Watson (ten/fl); Ray Dales (alt/fl); Don Fairley (tmb): Mark Webb, Darren Irwin (tpt); Stuart Collingwood (keys); Keith Peberdy (bs gtr); Simon Ferry (dms).
(Review by Lance).
Another super Sunday at Hoochie - hang on, am I at Hoochie Coochie, 54 Pilgrim St, Newcastle? Nah this ain't "The Toon" it's Vegas.  Peter S likened Paul Skerritt's gig at Ashington Jazz Club to Caesar's  Palace and The Sands. Well if Paul was at one of them then Jason was at the other and both have played Hoochie - indeed Paul was in the audience today and, just as Paul picked up the coveted January BSH Gig of the Month Award then Jason must be odds on for the February accolade - make space on the mantelpiece Sharon!
The bar was, hanging from the rafters, packed.and the air was filled with a delicious aroma of hairspray and the perfumes of Araby. The girls had also doused themselves liberally!
The music? what can I say? this wasn't a concert, more an experience!
Imagine hearing Sinatra, Elvis, Ray Charles and a few other legends at their best on a Sunday afternoon in Newcastle!
Jason plays good tenor too - he has to! it's a brave man who blows sax solos with Lewis and Ray in the section! He traded choruses with Lewis on Spandau Ballet's Your Indestructible and it went to a split decision!
Wonderful takes on standards such as Tramp; Come Fly With Me; Beyond the Sea; Bojangles; Ain't that a Kick in the Head?; That's Life; a poignant rendition of One for My Baby that brought the boisterous audience to near silence and, of course, New York, New York. start spreading the news don't miss THE MAN next time around...
In the meantime I've got a single and a CD to review - maybe they'll be CD of the month? Impossible, Shaz's mantelpiece won't be big enough!
Lance.
PS:One visitor who was impressed by the show was Swedish bass sax player Frans Sjöstrom who, after playing to a packed house with the NCRO the previous evening was astonished to witness yet another full house this afternoon. This maestro will surely return to Sweden and proclaim the north east of England as the jazz capital of the UK!
Great to meet you Frans.

3 comments :

Liz said...

just my sorta gig!

Sharon said...

Thanks for the kind words Lance, plenty of space on my mantelpiece...

Lance said...

Just heard - back on August 16!

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