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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 2024).

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

17630 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 904 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (Dec. 20).

From This Moment On ...

December

Thu 26: The Boneshakers @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. The 17th annual Boneshakers’ Shindig.

Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Business as usual!.
Fri 27: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 27: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sat 28: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 11:30am. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 28: Fri 20: Castillo Nuevo @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 28: Jude Murphy, Rich Herdman & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 28: Ray Stubbs R & B All-Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Stepney Bank, Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sun 29: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 29: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 30: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.

Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Lapwing Trio @ Wallington (National Trust), Cambo, Morpeth NE61 4AR. 12 noon & 2:00pm. Admission to site £19.00.
Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Archie Brown & Friends @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00-8:00pm. Free.

January 2025

Wed 01: ???

Thu 02: ???

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: John Gregory @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar.

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

Thursday, April 16, 2015

CD Review: Eyal Vilner Big band - Almost Sunrise

(Review by Lance).
The Swing/Big Band era may no longer be with us but it is far from dead. I guess just about every major city in the jazz orientated world has it's fair quota of musicians who rehearse diligently in pubs and clubs, emerging every so often, to remind the public how it was, how it is and how it will be as long as there are people around who appreciate a well scored orchestration performed by persons (I almost said 'guys'!) capable of reading and blowing exciting solos. 
As we, on Tyneside and Teesside, know, this species - once filed alongside dinosaurs and brontosauri' - is very much alive.
However, this CD isn't Jurassic Park - it's Central Park - and the players are all first call musicians from the, I quote, Bustling New York Scene, hailing from all over the globe. From Asia and Australia to Great Britain and Israel.
Can anyone name the GB representative?
Israeli born leader Vilner is a superb jazzman  -  as indeed are all the blowers and there's some nice vocals in there too.
The material is from Ellington, Strayhorn, Golson, Jimmy Owens, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, Cole Porter, Billy Reid (The Gypsy), Nat Cole and Vilner himself.
Looks to be in the running for this month's CD gong.
Warning!
Tread softly if you're going out tonight, you may find sixteen dinosaurs swinging in a bar near you! Don't worry, they are tame and don't bite - apart from when they're on the stand where they may try to cut each other to death - the tenor breed, in particular, are the jazz equivalent of the sabre tooth tiger! 
Lance.
Eyal Vilner Big Band - Almost Sunrise is available on Gut String records.
Eyal Vilner (alt/fl/arr./md); + collectively, Charence Wade, Nadia Washington, Charles Turner, (vcl);  Dan Block, Andrew Gould, Asaf Yuria, Lucas Pino, Eden Bareket (reeds); Bryan Davis, Greg Gisbert,  Matt Jodrell, Wayne Tucker (tpt/flug); John Mosca, Nick Finzer, Max Seigel (tmb); Tadataka Unno (pno); Jennifer Vincent (bs); Joe Strasser (dms).

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