Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 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

18799 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 663 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 12) 32.

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

From This Moment On

August

Sun 16: Vintage Explosion @ Cliffe Park, Roker, Sunderland SR6 8DB. 5:00-10:30pm. £44.00 (inc. bf).

Mon 17: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 20: Edson Angus Quartet @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 20: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 21: Andrzej Baranek Trio @ The Lit & Phil. 1:00pm. £8.00. Andrzej Baranek (piano); Josh Cavanagh-Brierley (double bass); Dave Walsh (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 21: David Gray Flextet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 21: Errol Linton & His Band + Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. Excellent blues double bill.

Sat 22: Durham Alumni Big Band + Durham Alumni All Stars + Swing Manouche @ Darlington Market Place. From 1:00pm. Free. The All Stars (1:00pm); The Alumni (2:00-4:00pm); Swing Manouche (4:15pm).

Sunday, February 08, 2015

Jazz Co-op @ The Globe: The Safe Sextet - Feb. 7

Don Forbes (trumpet); Pete Gilligan (keys); Steve Summers (alto/sop sax); John Rowland (tenor sax); Ray Truscott (bass); Mark Robertson (drums)
(Review by Ann Alex)
I must confess that I didn’t intend to review this as I wanted to skive from BSH and simply relax and enjoy the gig, and I’m also half way through reviewing a CD at home.  But I enjoyed the gig so much that I’m reviewing it anyway after a fashion, without any notes or list of tunes played.  The Globe deserves the review as well.  The audience numbers are increasing week by week; most seats were taken last night.
I can’t say too much about these musicians as everyone who’s heard them knows how wonderful they are to listen to, and they were all on great form.  Don introduced each number without the mike which gave a homely feel to the proceedings, and he amiably let the rest of the band have most of the solos, not at all one to pull rank. The solos were full of interest – thanks to the afternoon Co-op workshop at Sage Gateahead, which was all about improvisation, I had a fair idea of what to listen for, it’s all about chords, suspended, augmented, notes borrowed from other scales, and goodness knows what else.  I don’t pretend to understand it but the music sounds great.  Tunes included No Good Boyo from Stan Tracy’s Under Milk Wood Suite; the tune with Nantucket in the title; a very danceable calypso tune; some Coltrane and I seem to remember some Mike Carr, from the EMCEE 5 recordings. 
An added bonus was that Mark Robertson’s book was for sale at the cheaper price of £7.00.  It’s called Off Key, a story concerning a relationship and the jazz world, but humorous as well.  I started to read my copy on the metro home and I can vouch for the humour as I laughed on the very first page.
This has been a short review of a well-spent evening.
Ann Alex

1 comment :

Mark Robertson said...

Glad you enjoyed the gig and are enjoying the book Ann. Let me know when you've finished it. I have a post to send you about some strange coincidences involving Off Key but it contains some spoilers so it's best left till you've completed it.

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