Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (DownBeat May, 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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

May

Fri 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Take it to the Bridge @ The Chillingham. February 25

Dave Weisser (trumpet & vocals), Ray Johnson (trumpet & flugelhorn), Dougie Fielder (tenor saxophone), Tom Lapworth (guitar), Barry Ascroft (keyboards), Ray Truscott (bass) & Norman Redhead (drums)
(Review by Russell)
Another week at the Chilli. The old hands were on parade. They were joined by guitarist Tom Lapworth (a welcome participant at jam sessions across town). The guitarist’s three friends swelled audience numbers to dizzying heights (three + two + = …at this point the Take it to the Bridge abacus lost count). The West Coast-based (Whitehaven not USA!) Dougie Fielder made the long journey to have a blow. The tenor man chanced the High Pennines’ trail, the worst of the winter behind us.
Weisser, wearing a ‘Miles’ t-shirt, ensured everyone had a loosener on Green Bossa, an up-tempo Autumn Leaves (Weisser vocal, Norman Redhead’s brushes) and Solar (great guitar from Lapworth) – the Wednesday workshop was well and truly underway. Waltz elegance to bop burners (Afternoon in Paris to Well, You Needn’t) mixed it up. T Monk heard Ray Johnson (trumpet) with Barry Ascroft’s expert comping and Redhead’s spot-on ‘time’ behind him. News of Weisser’s domestic tv licence arrangement preceeded a Weisser vocal-led All of Me (good tenor from Fielder). Bassist Ray Truscott played his part throughout, ‘on it’ from Ascroft’s every ‘one, two’ count in. Stanley Turpentine (the musician’s sense of humour) featured. Weisser reminded us that Sugar was a favourite tune of the late Darren Grainger (tenor sax regular at Take it to the Bridge sessions).  
And that was it. An early finish for once. Time for a chat, last Metro home. Next week (March 4) sees the return of Lickety Split. Dave Weisser has secured a one-set (middle set, 9:00pm-ish) performance from Ediie Bellis’ excellent outfit. Think West Coast (USA not Whitehaven!) ‘cool school’ with a frontline capable, should it so choose, of tearing it up. All for the princely sum of £1.00.  Highly recommended. 
Russell.


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