Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''We knew back in the day that Emmet [Cohen] had it.'' (DownBeat July, 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

18699 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 573 of them this year alone and, so far this month (July 11) 27

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

July

Sun 12: Jazz Stage: Mouth of the Tyne Festival (o/s Tynemouth Priory), Tynemouth. Free. Trilogy of Four (11:00am); River City Jazzmen (12:10pm); Delta Prophets (1:20pm); B.O.C.K.S. Set (2:30pm); Mouth of the Tyne All Stars (3:40pm). Day 2/2.
Sun 12: Phantom Bagman + OUTRI @ The Bandstand, The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free.
Sun 12: 58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00-3:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Easington Social Welfare Centre. 2:00-4:00pm. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Sun 12: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 12: Guisborough Big Band @ Zetland Park Methodist Church, Redcar. 2:00-4:00pm. Free. Charity gig in aid of Parkinson’s Society.
Sun 12: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: The Bridge Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 13: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 13: Shildon Little Brass Bash @ Locomotion, Shildon. 6:00-9:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.
Mon 13: Quarrington Little Brass Bash @ Quarrington Community Centre. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.

Tue 14: Vieux Carre Hot 4 @ Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Delaval. 12:30pm. £15.00 (reservations: 0191 237 3697). ‘July Jazz Barbecue!’
Tue 14: Crook Little Brass Bash @ Crook Community Centre. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.
Tue 14: Barnard Castle Little Brass Bash @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.
Tue 14: Nomade Swing: Dos Guitars Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Tickets from Tully’s, Rothbury. Luco Allievi, Alessandro Brizio, Mariano Gallizio. ‘A Journey Through Swing, Gypsy Jazz, Soul & Pop’.
Tue 14: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 15: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 15: Willington Big Brass Bash @ Town Park, Willington. 6:00-9:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.
Wed 15: Nomade Swing: Dos Guitars Trio @ Café Needle’s Eye, Promenade, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea NE64 6XE. 6:00pm. Free. Luco Allievi, Alessandro Brizio, Mariano Gallizio. ‘A Journey Through Swing, Gypsy Jazz, Soul & Pop’.
Wed 15: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 15: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 15: Side Café Orkestar @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.00 (£11.00. adv.); £12.00 concs (£8.00. concs adv.).

Thu 16: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 16: Spennymoor Big Brash Bash @ Jubilee Park, Spennymoor. 6:00-9:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.
Thu 16: Coxhoe Little Brass Bash @ Village Green (Pit Wheel). 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.
Thu 16: Nomade Swing: Dos Guitars Trio @ Lollo Rosso, Morpeth. 7:30pm. Free. Luco Allievi, Alessandro Brizio, Mariano Gallizio. ‘A Journey Through Swing, Gypsy Jazz, Soul & Pop’.
Thu 16: Stevie Jay Duo @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free. Julija Jacenaite & Steve Glendinning.
Thu 16: DK Harrell @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £20.00 + bf. USA blues.
Thu 16: 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 17: Mejedi Owusu w. Francis Tulip Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 17: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 17: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 17: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 17: Seaham Big Brass Bash @ Terrace Green, Seaham. 6:00-9:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.
Fri 17: Newton Aycliffe Big Brass Bash @ Town Park, Newton Aycliffe. 6:00-9:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.
Fri 17: Ray Stubbs R&B Allstars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Fri 17: Mejedi Owusu w. Francis Tulip Trio @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 17: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm.
Fri 17: Nomade Swing: Dos Guitars Trio @ Repas 7 by Night, Berwick. 8:00pm. Free. Lollo Rosso, Morpeth. 8:00pm. Luco Allievi, Alessandro Brizio, Mariano Gallizio. ‘A Journey Through Swing, Gypsy Jazz, Soul & Pop’.

Sat 18: Streets of Brass @ Market Place, Durham City. 10:00am-4:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands.
Sat 18: Brass Boat Cruise @ Boathouse, Elvet Bridge Jetty, Durham City. Departures at 10:30am, 12 noon, 1:30pm, 3:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £5.00 (all prices + bf). Durham Brass Festival. Various bands.
Sat 18: Party in the Park @ Wharton Park, Durham City. 5:00-9:00pm. Free. Durham Brass Festival. Multi-bill of street brass bands. Entrance o/s Durham Railway Station (Northbound platform).
Sat 18: Zoë Gilby & Dean Stockdale @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm.
Sat 18: Mejedi Owusu w. Francis Tulip Trio @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00-9:00pm. £10.00.
Sat 18: Tyne Valley Big Band + Revolutionaires @ Pelton Community Centre. 7:00pm. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Sat 18: Dale Storr @ The Straw Yard, The Barracks, Berwick. 7:30pm. £15.38. Solo piano.
Sat 18: Nomade Swing: Dos Guitars Trio @ Red Lion Inn, Alnmouth. 8:30pm. Free. Lollo Rosso, Morpeth. 8:00pm. Luco Allievi, Alessandro Brizio, Mariano Gallizio. ‘A Journey Through Swing, Gypsy Jazz, Soul & Pop’.

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Did You Go Agogo?

(Recollection by Roly)
I've just been down memory lane checking out a few links on Club Agogo at the Handyside Arcade, Percy Street.
I was in Percy Street today shopping and it brought it all back.
I seem to remember going towards the back of the arcade then up some stairs onto a higher level then into a doorway and up more stairs into the club. There were two rooms - one on the left with a stage for band and dance floor. To the right a more intimate room to sit and listen. The walls were painted with luminous paint that glowed in the dark - it was a New York skyline with all the famous NY clubs named.  It had great atmosphere and it was very exciting to go there and hear some great R’n’B bands. This would be in the mid 60s.  
Of many great bands, I particularly liked two regular visitors.  One was Alex Harvey's Soul Band (Alex later had commercial success but started as a pure folk blues and R'n'B exponent). He seemed to be a bit of a tough character and had a quite explicit stage act - no shrinking violet he! He had great charisma though and I remember he had in the band a fantastic guitarist who I suspect was a jazzer earning a few quid with a top R'n'B band. I've often wondered who it was. I asked Jim Mullen once but he denied it was him.
The other knockout band was Spencer Davis group. This was because of the amazing young prodigy - Steve Winwood.  Steve sang and played piano like Ray Charles, played great R’n’B styled guitar, played very good harmonica and generally sang, played, danced and had such a good time on stage it was just something else.  I believe Paul Booth has worked with him quite a lot in more recent times.
Ah well - the Swinging Sixties eh??  I wonder if any site visitors have any Club Agogo memories to relate?
Here are some links for anyone wanting to know more. 
http://www.readysteadygone.co.uk/club-agogo-newcastle/
http://www.hendrixnortheast.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/hendrix/clubagogo.htm
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/club-oozing-real-up-gogo-1492046
Roly
at

3 comments :

Patti D. said...

This sounds fabulous - really swinging!! I moved up in 1966 - but M and I never went .... shame, shame, shame!! I did used to go to the clubs in Brighton though - and there was a Whiskey A Gogo place, plus the infamous Starlight Rooms. Where many a young lad and lass went astray!!

Wednesday, March 04, 2015 3:49:00 pm
Brian Bennett said...

Undoubtedly the best live music venue in Newcastle during the 60's. Along with a group of friends and colleagues from Redheads Advertising Ltd, we went there mainly on Thursday evenings and heard some of the best bands around at the time. One of my favourites was the Herbie Goins Band who I first saw at a beat club in Oxford Street, London, in the mid 60's and again shortly afterwards when they played the A'Gogo. Californian band, Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band were incredible. Also Julie Driscoll & the Brian Auger Trinity. I remember the Jazz Lounge was absolutely jam packed; the heat was unbearable and you could see condensation running down the walls. The Trinity came on stage and played an opening number, then just as Brian Auger brought Julie Driscoll onto stage to perform her first song, my then girlfriend fainted. Somehow we managed to carry her through to the 'Young Set' lounge where she eventually recovered...in the distance I could hear Julie singing 'This Wheels on Fire' which was her big hit at the time.

Wednesday, March 04, 2015 8:38:00 pm
David Murphy said...

What a coincidence! Haven't checked this blog for years and immediately I see Roly's note about the Go Go club, somewhere I can closely relate to with fond memories. For a couple of years ('62-'64) I was proud to be a young bass player with the Mike Carr jazz group playing Saturday nights ten till two am in the jazz lounge. Mike was on piano and vibes, Johnny Butts drums, Ian Carr trumpet, Gary Cox tenor sax, and Willie Payne guitar. What a place, heaving with punters. Big name jazz players used to sit in after playing their gig at the City Hall or whatever. I learned so much in those two years in a terrific atmosphere with musicians who were up there with the best. Happy nights! (Hope you're keeping OK Roly).

Thursday, March 05, 2015 4:58:00 pm

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