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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17719 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 39 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Jan. 15).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Sun 19: Glenn Miller Orchestra UK @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 3:00pm. ‘Glenn Miller & the Rat Pack Era’.
Sun 19: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 19: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:15-7:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 19: Tenement Jazz Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 19: Nick Ross Orchestra @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm.
Sun 19: Freight Train (Tobin/Noble/Clarvis) @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 19: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 20: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 21: ???

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 22: Pasadena Roof Orchestra @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.

Thu 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free. Fortnightly.
Thu 23: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Obituaries 2024.
Thu 23: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:30-6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Thu 23: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 24: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Lindisfarne Social Club, Wallsend. 9:00pm. Admission: TBC. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.

Sat 25: Boys of Brass @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 25: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 25: Jack & Jay’s Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Monday, April 20, 2015

A New Band Hits Town! The Gala Theatre Big Band Gala - Theatre, Durham April 19.

(Review by Jerry)
The availability of bottled Double Maxim (my preferred match-day tipple) made this feel like a visit to the Stadium of Light – but without the pain! Here there were only winners: Durham City with a new big band; Paul Edis, the band-leader; the band as a whole who gave such an excellent debut concert; the many soloists who bravely conquered first-night nerves and, above all, the audience (150-200, I guess) who lapped it up from start (Miller’s In the Mood) to finish (Basie’s One o’Clock Jump)! And there were some brilliant hats and waistcoats too!

Miller was followed by Edis – a blues self-mockingly (and erroneously) entitled Diminishing Returns. The blues were then immediately banished by Sammy Nestico’s foot-stomping arrangement of Sweet Georgia Brown, the musicians visibly relaxing now and enjoying great ensemble playing. Five brave “volunteers” then joined Edis at the front of the stage to perform two funky / bluesy numbers: Hancock’s Watermelon Man and Nat Adderley’s Work Song. Great stuff!
            Next up was another Edis original, the slow, muted, elegiac Too Sad for Words. And then, Dur-ham, Dur-ham, Dur-ham Dur-ham, Dur-ham…(why not?) Mancini’s Pink Panther got us back in the swing before the first set closed with another Nestico arrangement: All of Me. Time for another bottle of Houghton-le-Spring’s finest…..
            A train whistle (I kid you not!) from behind the closed red curtains announced the start of the second set and we were all whisked away on Strayhorn’s A Train. Those of you who have the recent CD of the same name would have recognised Mr Hipster which lent itself well to a big band treatment and provided an interesting comparison with the earlier Henry Mancini piece. This Edis original more than holds its own!
            My wife’s favourite Basie piece, Li’l Darlin, followed smoothly on from there. I hadn’t realised (jazznoramus) that this was actually composed by Neal Hefti, a name new to me and soon to be heard again as the band-leader introduced their penultimate number, Splanky. This really was a full-throttle (or “regulator” if we were still on that train!) sound from a very big band and it left the audience shouting for more. Which they got, in the shape of the aforementioned One o’Clock Jump.
            “When’s the next one?” was a question I heard from several exiting musicians. This was their first full concert in public: I too hope, like long awaited buses (or trains?), another will come along very soon. They were stars, every one!
Jerry.
Band-leader – Paul Edis
Trumpets -Dave Skipsey, Lis Hammond, Tom Rillands, Anthony Darwin, Edd Maughan
Trombones- Darcy Whyatt, Ian Cargill, Andrew Hedges, Thomas Hunter, Chris Gallon
Saxes- (Altos) Neil Owen, Beth Pollard, Francesca Sensier, Judith Wood-Archer
(Tenors) Peter Little, John Bowman, Rebecca Devine, Steve Williams
(Baritones) Katherine Humpleby, Alan Smith, Lindsay Smith
Flute - Kirstin Unwin Clarinet - Victoria Bainbridge
Guitar - Francis Tulip Piano - George Hetherington Bass - Richard Bower/Owen Jones
Drums - Alex Kennedy


1 comment :

Unknown said...

Thanks for all your comments! We certainly did. Hope you enjoyed our first outing everyone! Ian Cargill ( Trombone)

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