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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 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

17904 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 225 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (March 24).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Thu 27: Hannabiell & Midnight Blue @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 27: Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb blues duo.

Fri 28: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00 SOLD OUT!.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm.
Fri 28: Sue Ferris Quintet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £10.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 28: Mostly Moonlight @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 28: Juliana Day & Manon McCoy @ Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00.; £10.00. advance. JNE.

Sat 29: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 29: Doris Day Story @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Sat 29: Squabble! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 30: Jan Spencelayh & Dave Archbold @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 30: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

APRIL 2025

Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Mark Robertson.
Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 02: Lauren Bush: The Jazz Singer’s Toolkit @ The Pele, Corbridge. 1:00-4:00pm. Vocalist Lauren Bush with pianist Jamil Sheriff presents a jazz singing workshop. £40.00. (inc. evening concert, see below). Registration required for workshop: www.laurenbushjazz.com. All ability levels welcome.
Wed 02: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 02: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 02: Lauren Bush & Jamil Sheriff @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00-9:00pm. £10.00. Concert performance. Tickets: www.laurenbushjazz.com.
Wed 02: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 02: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. POSSIBLE CANCELLATION. See website for updates: www.theglobenewcastle.bar.

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

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Keys, Darlington. May 10

(Review by Russell)
Darlington Jazz Club goes from strength to strength. Following the success of the 2015 Darlington Jazz Festival staged at a multitude of town centre locations, club organisers have an additional venue to play with. The Keys on Skinnergate is a bar/restaurant/club affair. The stripped-back-to-the-brick, pastel shades of the ground floor bar are in stark contrast to the ‘funky industrial’ theme of the first floor nightclub. The exposed heating ducts, the steel perimeter around the centrally sited, up-lit dance floor – it all felt a little too self-conscious. Scene set, the Strictly Smokin’ Big Band set up on the dance floor.
Tyneside’s seriously smokin’ outfit adopted an unusual configuration; reeds and rhythm sections at ninety degrees to the brass players, the expanse of the dance floor open to the vocalists. The audience sat (and stood) on all four sides.
‘Welcome to Studio 54!’ quipped MC Guy Swinton. Grace Jones and Steve Strange were conspicuous by their absence but the band didn’t hang around waiting for them to show. Buddy Rich, Kenny Wheeler, Horace Silver, Tom Garling, Howlin’ Wolf, Van Morrison – an eclectic set list to say the least! The room didn’t help the sound and the vocalists – two top singers – weren't heard to best effect. The radiant Lindsay Hannon stood in the spotlight (quite literally), every bit Veronica Lake and a little bit Jean Harlow (in a studio publicity pic), to sing a few songs including I’m Beginning to See the Light and Route 66. Male counterpart F’reez, more soul boy than interpreter of the Gasbook, charmed the rosé-drinking ladies with Moondance and Come Fly with Me.
The boys in the band were as good as one has come to expect – special mention for the rhythm section (always impressive) and on this occasion, the smokin’ trumpet section.
The saxophones had their moments (baritone Laurie Rangecroft soloed!) and the band’s new party piece – Sax Alley – worked as an encore with tenors Keith Robinson, Paul Gowland and Jamie Toms tearing it up.
The Keys is different. Darlington Jazz Club will work hard to make it work. Early days, time will tell. The next club night is on Sunday 24 May at the Quakerhouse, Mechanics’ Yard, featuring one of Andy Bennett’s final gigs before upping sticks and heading down south. Bennett, a superb alto/soprano saxophonist and clarinetist (he held the chair in the Voice of the North Jazz Orchestra) will have some of the finest musicians around to say farewell. Put it the diary now – 5:30pm, Sunday 24th May.                         
Strictly Smokin’ Big Band: Michael Lamb MD, Pete Tanton, Gordon Marshall, Dick Stacey (trumpets), John Flood, Tom Dowling, Mark Ferris, Kieran Parnaby (trombones), Laurie Rangecroft (baritone saxophone), Paul Gowland (tenor saxophone), Jamie Toms (tenor saxophone), Niall Armstrong (alto saxophone), Keith Robinson (alto & tenor saxophones), Graham Don (piano), Pawel Jedrzejewski (guitar), Michael Whent (bass), Guy Swinton (drums), Lindsay Hannon (vocals) & F’reez (vocals).
Russell.

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