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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, 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

17904 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 225 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (March 24).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Tue 25: Fred Wesley & the New JB’s @ The Cluny. 7:30pm (doors). £27.50. POSTPONED! New date Wednesday 26 November.

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Hannabiell & Midnight Blue @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 27: Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb blues duo.

Fri 28: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00 SOLD OUT!.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm.
Fri 28: Sue Ferris Quintet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £10.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 28: Mostly Moonlight @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 28: Juliana Day & Manon McCoy @ Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00.; £10.00. advance. JNE.

Sat 29: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 29: Doris Day Story @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Sat 29: Squabble! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 30: Jan Spencelayh & Dave Archbold @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 30: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. 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, March 15, 2015

CD Review: Chris McNulty - Eternal

Chris McNulty (vocals); John Di Martino (arrangements and piano); Ugonna Okegwo (bass); Gregory Hutchinson (drums) + Chamber ensemble*
(Review by Ann Alex)
Prepare to shed tears whilst listening to this CD.  This is Chris McNulty’s seventh CD since she emerged on to the international jazz scene in 1991, and it is a tribute to her son, Sam McNulty, hip-hop artist-composer Chap One, who died in 2011.  McNulty researched songbooks extensively to get the right mix of material for the album, and she has assembled an excellent set of songs.  
The CD manages to avoid being too maudlin or sentimental, probably because of the skilful arrangements and genuinely heartfelt way that the songs are sung.  The sound is lush and poignant and McNulty’s voice soars around the songs, a rich voice with just a hint of a pleasing nasal tone.  I say ‘soars around’ because she makes the tunes her own, original improvisation, sometimes cutting across the musicians, sometimes with gentle scat-like vocals.
It isn’t difficult to work out the irony of songs such as What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life on an album such as this – I found this to be one of the most moving tracks.  Then there’s Nature Boy; With Every Breath I Take; Where Is Love (Lionel Bart); and Boulevard Of Broken Dreams. There is one original song by McNulty herself, You Are There, a simple statement of love with minimal accompaniment.  The CD opens with the oddly titled The Saga Of Harrison Crabfeathers, which is in fact a very sad love song which is achingly appropriate:
‘Crying softly for the one who cannot be here
Through the rain she sees a face laughing in happy play
The face of a child, the child on a sunny day’.
The other tracks are A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing; Stardust; Yesterday I Heard The Rain; Love Came On Stealthy Fingers; On A Clear Day.  The arrangements include good solos from piano, horns, woodwinds and bass. The making of this CD must have taken courage by all concerned, and it has just struck me as by an odd coincidence, that this review will appear here on Mother’s Day.
The CD is released on Palmetto records on March 24  
Ann Alex
* Steve Newcomb (arranger); Mazz Swift, Josh Henderson, Amanda Lo (violins); Trevor New (viola); Meaghan Burke, Marika Hughes (cellos); Jodie Rottle (flutes); Ivan Barenboim (clarinets); John Morgan-Bush (French horn); Ben Wendel (bassoon); Paul Bollenback (guitar)

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