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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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.CANCELLED!
Thu 10: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. A Globe fundraiser (all proceeds to the venue).
Thu 10: Exhaust: Camila Nebbia/Kit Downes/Andrew Lisle @ Jesmond URC, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. JNE.
Thu 10: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Feat. guests Ray Dales & Jackie Summers.

Fri 11: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: John Rowland Trio: The Music of Ben Webster @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Rowland (tenor sax); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Fri 11: Imelda May @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 11: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ Cullercoats Watch House. 7:30-9:00pm. Free (donations).

Sat 12: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 12: Rob Heron & the Tea Pad Orchestra + House of the Black Gardenia + King Bees @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 6:30pm (doors). £18.00.
Sat 12: Bright Street Big Band @ Washington Arts Centre. 6:30pm. £12.00. Event includes swing dance taster session, DJ dance session. Bright Street Big Band on stage 7:30-8:15pm & 8:45-9:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Imelda May @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £42.20. SOLD OUT!
Sat 12: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 13: Daniel John Martin with Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 13: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 13: Hejira: A Celebration of Joni Mitchell @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £22.50.
Sun 13: Wilkinson/Edwards/Noble + Chojnacki @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £13.20., £11.00. JNE.

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 13, 2015

Paul Edis Trio @ The Cherry Tree, March 11

 Paul Edis (piano); Roly Veitch (guitar/vocal); Neil Harland (double bass).
(Review by JC).
As BSH had intriguingly advertised the Wednesday night gig at the Cherry Tree as a 'good King Cole style trio' that seemed another good reason (along with the food) to go. Maybe Arthur Scargill had taken up the ukulele in his later years or Andy Cole had become a whizz on the baritone sax since he hung up his boots, but on arrival it was clear that neither was the case. The quietly distinguished looking guitarist didn't look the type to make rabble-rousing speeches and the piano player, with all due respect, didn't seem like a 20-goals a season striker (although the bass player might have made an elegant, but tough-tackling centre half).
In fact, the band turned out to be another excellent manifestation of the ever-morphing Paul Edis Trio. And what a nice trio it was, with Roly Veitch on guitar and Neil Harland on double bass.
Veitch quickly demonstrated his singing ability on Date With an Angel with nice solos from the trio, followed by Beautiful Love on which Edis revealed his considerable instrumental versatility with some fine soloing on flute. A well-crafted vocal on Long Ago and Far Away led into Darn that Dream and by now the trio were into a sweet musical groove, swopping solos and leaving spaces for each other to fill. The audience were also fully engaged.
Paper Moon was a standout number with Veitch treating the lyrics with the care and lightness such delicate material requires and supplementing them with equally subtle guitar playing. To my pleasant surprise Edis turned the trio into a quartet for this number, playing both piano and excellent clarinet (though not quite simultaneously) on this song, to the great appreciation of my friends. A very nice version of Nature Boy ended the first set.
The second set continued the high standard of the first with more fine vocals from Veitch and excellent interplay between guitar and piano on such numbers as East of the Sun, The Touch of Your Lips, Our Love is Here to Stay and Thank Your Lucky Stars. Harland on double bass provided solid rhythmic underpinning to the music and contributed a number of classy solos as well. An audience request led to Edis playing a track from his solo album, Bring Me Sunshine, and hearing the tune again revealed not only its infectious good humour but also how finely crafted this version is (the possibility of second solo album is rumoured, apparently). After this tune Roly Veitch generously and rightly commented on the fact that there were a number of excellent young jazz musicians in the region of whom Edis was undoubtedly one. Although he did exclude Neil Harland from this group, not because of his musical ability, but because he was an 'old timer'. Harland smiled benignly.
The expertise of all three was fully demonstrated in the next song, Flamingo and this was followed by My Romance. During the break our table had wondered which instrument Edis would next surprise us with and I suggested it might be the instrument du jour in Newcastle at the moment and he would pull the ubiquitous Theremin from his back pocket and play something like a stride version of Good Vibrations. As it happened it was the clarinet again on this number and very good it was too. Then the Trio rounded off the evening with It Could Happen to You.
Just to say that the food was like the music: always interesting, sometimes beautifully understated but taken to an extra level with delicate touches of technical virtuosity. A perfect combination.
JC

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