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

Mon 11: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 12: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Hey Remember This @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 14: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Philip Larkin’s Jazz Experiment.
Thu 14: Jerron Paxton @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb country blues.
Thu 14: Solcade @ the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. 7:00pm. EP launch. Rivkala & co..
Thu 14: Jacob Egglestone @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums) & guests.
Thu 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: 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 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.

Wednesday, May 06, 2015

Jazz Café Jam Session - May 5.

Peter Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Paul Wight (dms); Bradley Johnston (gtr) + Fi Finden (sop/vcl); Paul Gowland (alt); Stu Finden, Alexis Cairns (ten); Joe Fowler (tmb/vcl); David Gray, Priyanka (tmb); Joel Brown, Francesco Falconi (pno); Andrew Porritt, "Father" Brown, Luke Stuart-Smith (bs); Thanos (gtr); Dimi, Rob Bates, Eric Stutt (dms).
(Review by Lance.)

Back in the Crombie era, Keith's proudest boast was of the cosmopolitan nature of the clientele at the Jazz Café. Well, if the late KC is looking up from down there, he couldn't have wished for a greater international flavour than last night. Dimi from Bulgaria on drums, Italian Francesco on piano, Thanos from Greece on guitar and Pryanka, London born of Indian parents, blowing up a storm on trombone.
Pryanka slugged it out with Big Joe and David Gray on Watermelon Man and Work Song - those guys knew they'd been in a fight! Welcome to Newcastle Pryanka.
This was just one of the many high spots of another classic jam at the Caff. Joel, once again, delighted on piano - There is no Greater Love a nice gentle groove with Eric Stutt on drums, Thanos the Greek on guitar and Andrew Porritt on bass. Eric is older than the other three combined yet the combination gelled going to prove that, in jazz, age or nationality is immaterial if you can do the job - these guys can!
Dimi, was on drums for Doxy and Bye Bye Blackbird with Fiona, Stu and Paul Gowland out front blowing saxes. Bulgaria can be proud of its ambassador for jazz.
Just too much happening to mention everyone - needless to say the house quartet were up for it with I Fall in Love Too Easily outstanding. Paul Gowland's take on My One and Only Love reminded me just how good a tune this is and Paul did it no harm at all - a great version. Big Joe singing All of Me, Alexis on tenor for All the Things You Are and blowing Softly as in a Morning Sunrise with the aforementioned Joe. The highs were many the lows almost nonexistent.
Lance.

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