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

18680 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 544 of them this year alone and, so far this month (July 3) 8

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 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Kevin Eland (trumpet).
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 07: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:30pm. Free.
Tue 07: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Sax on the Tyne @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £8.00. Feat. Sax on the Tyne & St George’s Community Choir.
Wed 08: Abbie Finn Trio @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 09: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 09: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 09: 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 10: Swing Manouche @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Olly Styles & Jacob Egglestone @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 10: Archipelago @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:00pm . New album fundraiser gig.
Fri 10: King Bees @ Rebel Yell, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Chicago blues.

Sat 11: Spanish City Rollers @ Community Stage: Mouth of the Tyne Festival, Front Street, Tynemouth. 12 noon. Free.
Sat 11: Jazz Stage: Mouth of the Tyne Festival (o/s Tynemouth Priory), Tynemouth. Free. Vieux Carré Hot 4 (12 noon); Rendezvous Jazz (1:00pm); Castillo Nuevo Trio (2:00pm); Classic Swing (3:00pm); Abbie Finn Trio (4:00pm). Day 1/2.
Sat 11: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man + Adam Millington @ St John’s Chapel, Town Hall, Weardale DL13 1QF. 5:00pm (doors). £16.26., £10.84., £8.67., £5.42 (under 18).
Sat 11: Milne Glendinning Band @ Langley Tracks, Langley-on-Tyne. 5:30pm.
Sat 11: Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:30pm.
Sat 11: Karberry Big Band @ Forest Hall Social Club. 7:00pm. £7.00.
Sat 11: Ray Quinn: The King of Swing @ The Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.

Saturday, March 07, 2015

Great North Big Band Jazz Festival (Day 1) @ North Shore, Sunderland. March 6

Paul Jones-Mick Donnelly Quintet: Paul Jones (alto saxophone), Sue Ferris (tenor saxophone & flute), Stuart Collingwood (keyboards), Anth Ord (bass) & Adrian Tilbrook (drums)
(Review by Russell)
The twelfth annual Great North Big Band Jazz Festival opened with the Paul Jones-Mick Donnelly Quintet. The line-up wasn’t quite as anticipated. Mick Donnelly (tenor) begged leave of absence to give his services to a high profile charity event, thus a last minute dep was sought. Sue Ferris – damsel to the rescue – stepped into the breach. The band’s bass player – Neil Harland – was unavailable, so, one of the new generation of north east jazz musicians got the job, Mr Anth Ord. Not quite a scratch band, how would they fare?

The quintet’s audience included the Festival Big Band (an ensemble comprising some of the north east’s finest young musicians) and first time visitors to Sunderland, Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Swing Band. The first number set the pace, then some. Herbie Hancock’s Driftin’  heard Paul Jones’ alto, then, wow-wee!, Sue Ferris’ tenor solo blew the roof off Sunderland University Students’ Union! Truly great tenor playing. American star names – past or present – would have been left trailing. Sandu followed. We weren’t aware that Ferris had merely been warming up; more absolutely killing tenor saxophone! Peri’s-Scope – guess what? Ferris did it again! Mick who?
Stevie Wonder, The Song is You, a Sonny Rollins’ calypso… pianist Stuart Collingwood threw in a couple of solos, Jones again, Anth Ord (on the money all night) did a grand job and Adrian Tilbrook (drums) was in fine form throughout.
The Festival Big Band performed material developed over several months in workshops led by Bill Watson. Catch As Catch Can, The Londonderry Air and Blue Skies. A varied programme showcasing, in particular, a nine-strong saxophone section, deservedly won applause. Bill Bailey featured a sixty four bar reeds intro. Watson appeared satisfied, the audience liked it. Pianist Alice Buhaenko premiered a her composition – The Festival Overture – with, in parts, a Spanish feel to it. Trombonist Hugh Morris is an arranger – composer and arranger are definitely ones to watch out for.
Festival guests Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Swing Band closed the first night of this year’s Great North Big Band Jazz Festival. The boys are making a weekend of it; participating in a Saturday morning workshop and on Sunday they will be taking part in the schools’ section of the competition. This Friday evening short set introduced a band well-schooled by MD Colin Myers. Adrien Re, Sammy Nestico and Pharrell Williams – three markedly different composers – put the spotlight on the band’s sections. Trumpets (all six of them) impressed and Sam Myers stood up for the trombones. Happy, Williams’ tune of the year (was it 2013? 2014?), concluded a polished performance. The boys are sure to enjoy the weekend – win, lose or draw. Note: Mick Donnelly will be back (in tandem with Paul Jones) on Saturday and Sunday to act as competition adjudicator. Russell.
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