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Bebop Spoken There

Xhosa Cole: ''Monk was unapologetically himself". (Jazzwise, February 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

17744 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 64 of them this year alone and, so far, 64 this month (Jan. 26).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 12 noon-2:00pm (two sets). £12.00. admission (card or cash at the door). Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums). Note change of venue, no longer at Mrs M’s as advertised, the concert will be in the Old Library (Bishop Auckland Jazz’s regular venue). Important! It’s a ‘BYOB’ arrangement - ie bring your own booze (and/or tea, coffee, soft drinks).
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Café Orkestar @ Café Under the Spire, Gateshead. 6:00pm. ‘Klezmer, Gypsy Jazz, Balkan & More!’.
Fri 31: Nothing in Rambling @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £10.00. + bf. Country blues duo.
Fri 31 Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Wylam Institute. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. + £1.50. bf.
Fri 31: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £10.00 + bf. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.
Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00 Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 31: SwanNek + Rivkala @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. SwanNek’s new single launch gig. Pilgrim, formerly Hoochie Coochie.
Fri 31: King Bees @ Blues Underground; Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.

February 2025

Sat 01: Alan Barnes & John Hallam with the Tom Kincaid Trio @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - Cy Coleman’s Witchcraft. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Darling Dollies @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Vocal trio.
Sat 01: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 01: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: Rockin’ Turner Brothers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Western swing etc.

Sun 02: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 02: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 02: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free (donations).
Sun 02: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 02: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:15-7:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 02: Jive Aces @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Sun 02: John Pope + Andy Champion + Ian Paterson @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. ‘Subterranean Explorations 1’. Three (half hour) solo bass sets.
Sun 02: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 03: Andy Watt & Dan Rogers @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance. Jazz, blues, folk etc.
Mon 03: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 04: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.
Tue 04: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Phillips, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.
Tue 04: Dilutey Juice + Life Aquatics Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Wed 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 05: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 05: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. 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

Friday, March 06, 2015

Lickety Split/Take it to the Bridge @ The Chillingham. March 4

Lickety Split:
Eddie Bellis (trombone), Paul Gowland (tenor saxophone), Alan Marshall (alto saxophone), Kevin Eland (trumpet & flugelhorn), Roy Willis (guitar), Bradley Johnston (guitar), Alan Rudd (bass) & Paul Wight (drums)
(Review by Russell)
Eddie Bellis’ octet is heard all too infrequently. The boys in the band are busy people –   getting them together in the same room, at the same time, is an achievement in itself. An invitation from Dave Weisser to Bellis to make a return visit to the Chillingham with his Lickety Split eight piece band did the trick. Such are the economics of the little big band, the boys didn’t play for ‘out-of-pocket’ expenses, they were, quite simply, out of pocket!
Weisser’s weekly workshop split into two (pre and post Lickety Split’s set) affording the luxury of a night off (door duties aside) for house drummer Norman Redhead as Lickety Split’s stickman Paul Wight submitted an overtime claim, working straight through on all three sets. Bags Groove indicated where Bellis was coming from and where they were heading for the rest of the one-hour set. The band’s frontline boasts formidable soloists – Bellis showed what he can do and gave numerous opportunities to Paul Gowland (tenor), Alan Marshall (alto) and the man from the stratosphere – top Cs Kevin Eland (trumpet & flugelhorn).
The seated rhythm strings kept things cookin’ – the out-of-sight Alan Rudd (obscured by the horns) sounded perfectly Kind of Blue all night. Roy Willis purred a la Freddie Green (88 Basie Street) and side-kick Bradley Johnston kicked-in with one or two excellent solo contributions. Straight No Chaser heard from Marshall and Johnston and the irrepressible Eland squeezin’ an’ teasin’ from on high. Bellis loves West Coast cool and plundered the Birth of the Cool. Lickety Split should gig more…watch this space.
Take it to the Bridge:
Dave Weisser (trumpet & vocals), Dougie Fielder (tenor saxophone), Barry Ascroft (keyboards), Mike Clarke (bass) & Paul Wight (drums) + Paul Gowland (alto saxophone)
Earlier and later, Main Man Weisser assembled the troops. A short first set and a short second set. Norman Redhead preoccupied with ushering in the audience, Paul Wight joined the house band as did Paul Gowland playing alto.
Wight set a crisp military-medium tempo on Nostalgia in Times Square prompting Dave Weisser’s vocalese fours with Wight. Main Man Weisser sang a Victor Newman number for the first time at the Chilli. Let’s hear it again DW. Gowland tore into One by One and, typical of Weisser’s eclectic selections, followed up with Rodgers and Hart’s Blue Room.
So, a busy night at the Chillingham – the jazz upstairs, the match downstairs (Newcastle 0 Man Utd 1). Dave Weisser’s Take it to the Bridge session has been running for longer than most care to remember (The Beamish Mary, The Bridge Hotel, The Blue Bell, The Egypt Cottage). Audience and sitters-in (all instruments) are most welcome. Last night’s schedule meant young drummer Matthew MacKellar didn’t get a chance to sit in. He’ll be back, why not join him? The Chilli is within spitting distance of Chillingham Road Metro station and bus stops en route to Newcastle city centre. Eight o’clock prompt (ish).      
Russell.

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