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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

Saturday, February 14, 2015

The Road to Hong Kong with Colin Aitchison - Part One.

(Interviewed by Lance - pictured right))
Q: Colin, we go back a long way, the Newcastle Big Band and, of course, I also worked , for many years in the music store with your dad, Hughie. Would you like to tell readers of Bebop Spoken Here about your early days?
A: My earliest memories start from the time that I was taken round to various venues by my Dad and Mum. I was in a push chair. All I do recall is some vague bits and pieces, I do remember the New Orleans Jazz Club on Melbourne Street, I remember my dad playing with Joe Young and his mainstream band. and various other ensembles with Sheila Giles. I recall that Joe used to pay us quite a few visits at home, as did Ronnie Young whom my dad gave trumpet lessons to.  I have memories of Alan Price as  both of them were at the Swan Hunters shipyard;  and Alan used to sit in with dad at the New Orleans Jazz Club. As I said, vague and disconnected memories at this age.
I really started to get interested in jazz between the age of 14 -16 when I started junk shopping for 78 rpm records. Sometimes Frank Wappat used to take me around!
I was thrilled when Dad used to sneak me into The New Orleans Jazz Club at Forth Banks. It was here where I had my first try at playing Black and Blue. It was after Ronnie McLean and the All Stars had finished their last number. John Pearce who was on piano encouraged me to get my dad's trumpet and have a go! But I will never forget my biggest first moment on stage!  Dad had been standing in for Joe Errington with the River City Jazzmen at Newbiggin Hall, and we had been practicing Black and Blue for quite a bit at home. When I was called up to play with the band I  was terrified!  My God !! There seemed to be a thousand eyes looking at me and judging me. I managed the first 16 bars and then broke down - shaking legs, dry lips, no sound. What a case of stage fright. It seemed like the end of the world. I was so embarrassed and felt that I had let my Dad down.  Dad took me back to the band room, calmed me down and we played it again perfectly in the privacy of the band room.
I also remember a session dad did with the Ronnie McLean All Stars for Frank Wappat at his mission hall in Byker, and Nat Gonella & Bobby Thompson being present, and some where there are recordings of the session, I know I did play one song, but again very nervous, I hate to think what I sounded like.
Dad also knew Alan Brown well as they played together back in the 1950's with Stan Wilde & The Wild Cats & The Bernicia Jazz Band  (Dad's Band). Alan used to always get me a pass back stage at the City Hall through his connection with local jazz people, to meet the greats at the City Hall in Newcastle. It was a shame that I was still a little too young to fully grasp and appreciate all this wonderful talent.  To this day I still have all the autographs - Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Oscar Peterson to name a few. I treasure them..
(To be continued...)
Colin Aitchison (Bandleader)
China Coast Jazzmen
Ned Kelly's Last Stand
Hong Kong.

2 comments :

Lance said...

Colin, your comments about Windows music shop reminds me that, back in those days the jazz record section was the local equivalent of the Commodore Music Store in New York or Dobell's in London. It was a place to hang out - the rockers had a similar set up in the pop record dept. next door. I recall McLean telling an inspiring Buddy Holly that you didn't talk about 'bookings' but that 'gig' was the word. The next time he came in he said to Ronnie "I've got a gig tonight"!

CCJAZZMEN said...

Those days as a kid going to Windows were great, and when you look back how many famous personalities always paid a visit to jazz record department, I even remember jazz guitarist Barney Kessel dropping by, and a host of others, I agree you were the Commodore Music Store of the North East, very hard to find something like that anymore, Widows certainly has an era of history in it's own right.
Colin,

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