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

18548 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 412 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 19) 66

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

Mon 25: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 26: Noel Dennis Sextet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £12.00. A Miles Davis centenary concert (Davis b. 26. 5. 1926). Noel Dennis (trumpet); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mark Williams (guitar); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums). SOLD OUT!
Tue 26: Lagos to Longbenton @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 27: Neighbourhood Watch + Rivkala @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £5.00. Rivkala (solo).

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Miles Davis & His Favourite Musicians.
Thu 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 28: Bobby Rush @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £25.00. + bf. Veteran USA bluesman.
Thu 28: Squabble @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 28: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.

Sat 30: Giles Strong Quartet @ Langley Tracks, Langley on Tyne NE47 5LA. 5:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £1.50 bf.

Sun 31: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 31: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 31: Sinfonia of London: Tea Dance @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 3:00pm. Free. John Wilson ensemble performing on the concourse. Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George & Ira Gershwin & more.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76.
Sun 31: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 31: Ben Haskins Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Paul Skerritt Band @ The Jazz Café - April 17.


Paul Skerritt (vcl); James Harrison (pno); Anth Ord (bs gtr); Tom Chapman (dms).
(Review by Lance).
A Skerritt gig is never 'ordinary' - it's a 'happening'! To be more precise it's an occasion when anything can happen and invariably does - as our photo shows!
Entertainment is the name of the game with these guys and they provide it without loss of musical integrity (whatever that is!)
Put simply, they enjoy what they're doing and that enjoyment, being infectious, rubs off on the audience who willingly go along for the riotous ride.
The material may not always be the standard GASbook fare but, whatever it may go in as, it usually comes out swinging.
With Skerritt's vocals, Harrison's musical shenanigans and the engine room being stoked by Chapman and Ord, how could it not?
Come Fly With Me got us airborne followed by L-O-V-E and a feature for Anth Ord on All About That Bass - shame we couldn't have had Meghan Trainor along as part of the package but Anth did good.
Michael Jackson provided The Way You Make me Feel and Harrison kicked seven shades out of this one as indeed he did on everything except sometimes he kicked more than seven.
Stepping Out With my Baby; an up-tempo Witchcraft; Don't Get Around Much Anymore; I'm Beginning to See the Light and Titanium - a new one to me - rounded off a superb first set.
Grainger Bitter - was it named after the area or The Caff's incumbent bass player I wonder? - went down well, it has great healing properties.
I Wanna be Like You brought King of the Swingers Tom Chapman into the spotlight; Daft Punk's Get Lucky brought a dancing couple who, in their spare time, probably give dancing lessons to Dervishes.
The trio did a solo spot on a Ramsey Lewis type number before Paul gave us his now familiar reworking of The Gentleman/Lady is a Tramp. It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing saw James providing the do-wa-do-wa bits. 
American Girl (Boy); Crazy Little Thing Called Love; Let The Good Times Roll and Sway brought a fun packed evening to a close.
Quite a night!
Photos.
Lance.
at

1 comment :

Lance said...

I forgot to mention the surreal moment when James was playing the house upright with one hand and the keyboard with the other!

Saturday, April 18, 2015 4:36:00 pm

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