Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Saturday, May 09, 2015

Linda Sharrock Group/Knotts/MacCalman and Pope @ Black Swan, Newcastle. - May 7, A JNE ‘Women Make Music’ presentation

Linda Sharrock (voice); Mario Rechtern (saxophones); Derek Saw (trumpet & flugelhorn); John Jasnoch (guitar); Charlie Collins (drums & percussion).
(Review/photos by Ken Drew.)
The quartet of guitar, brass (various) and drums played fervently with regular and sometimes sporadic interjections from Linda’s vocalese in the form of wailing, screaming, moans and whelping. Linda‘s soaring, swelling sound is just as penetrating as it is striking. The many repetitions of short phrases served to drive the quartet into searching deep into the corners of the soaring, swirling and dynamic soundscape they created.
A superb performance. Yet energy draining to an extent that it was an endurance test of voice, quartet and indeed audience of how to hold everyone’s attention with much repetition, yet not, with screaming, yet varied, and with shrill-energy draining and exhausting vocals, yet not.   What a very powerful performance, not just by Linda but by the whole ensemble who were perfectly matched - Berlin born saxophone master Mario Rechtern together with leading UK improvisers Charlie Collins, John Jasnoch, and Derek Saw.  Amazing.  And yet another improv gig which will leave a lasting impression.

Shelley Knotts (electronics); Faye MacCalman (tenor sax); John Pope (bass)
Earlier, the trio of Knotts, MacCalman and Pope,  playing an opening set of around 30 minutes, gave a unique performance, proving themselves to be some of the most interesting young players on the local improvised music scene. I can’t do justice to the performance but the ebb & flow of background electronics nicely complemented the Bass and Sax interplay, with solos along the way. Hopefully we’ll see them again soon with our appetites suitably whetted! Ken.

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