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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

Monday, March 23, 2015

CD Review: Vicky Tilson Quartet – Mojo Risin'


Vicky Tilson – double bass; Dee Byrne - alto sax; Stuart Fiddler – guitar; Reinis Axelsson - drums
(Review by Hugh C).
Vicky Tilson, a graduate of the Guildhall post-grad jazz course, formed her first quartet in 2009 and released an album, Picture from Jitske, in the same year.  Tales from a Forgotten City followed in 2010. 
Mojo Risin’, recorded at the Cable Street Records studios in East London where Reinis Axelsson worked as a sound engineer, enabled Tilson to record in analogue and “give the album a certain warmth that digital does not”.
The album features three re-recorded stand out tunes from the quartet's first two albums, together with six new pieces exploring themes of depression, determination, immortality and patience.
A total of just over 58 minutes. 
Inspiration came from the words of Jim Morrison in The Doors song LA Woman -Mr Mojo Risin’ ”.  Tilson considers mojo risin’ to embody “everything that is good about a person on the rise; improving, developing into something spectacular like a phoenix rising from the ashes”.  She felt that was how her life was going as she composed the album, having recently been through her own personal annus horribilis.
Only the Brave starts with a rhythmic groove by the bass 'n drums soon joined by Byrne on alto and Fiddler on guitar.  The track has a funky feel with short solo passages from each.  Black Dog takes the mood down (literally) soon to morph into a kaleidoscopic whorl of sound from Byrne's alto, to be followed by steady state in four, with some nice solo work from Fiddler's guitar.  Better Late Than Never has a more uplifting feel with clever interplay between alto and guitar over a driving tempo set by the rhythm section.  Funk is back with Boho Chic featuring nifty guitar work by Stuart Fiddler over Axelsson's drums.  Headlovin' continues in the upbeat tempo with stratospheric squeals from Byrne's alto interspersed with finger pickin' good guitar work by Fiddler. 
The Eternal Ending isn't - there's still three more tracks to go!  This features a beautiful melodic line by Byrne on alto sax.  There’s no let-up in the rhythm though.  As one might expect when the band leader is a bassist there is extensive bass solo work! 
The pleasant thing to this reviewer is how the solos are seamlessly integrated into the musical narrative.  Pas du Tout has a more reflective feel than the preceding tracks allowing for a more spread out appreciation of each instrumentalist’s contribution to the whole.  The Crunch and The Kicker take us out with an almost drum 'n bass feel to the latter.
This is a crackling listen – buy it! – available March 23 on the F-IRE label.  Catalogue number F-IRECD79.   The Quartet have gigs coming up in the South and in Northern Ireland.  These guys would sound great in the some of the more intimate venues here in the North East – programmers take note!
Hugh C.

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