Bebop Spoken There

Emma Rawicz: "In a couple of years I've gone from being a normal university student to suddenly being on international stages." DownBeat January 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

18219 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 73 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 24), 73

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 30: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 30: Pete Roth Trio @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Feat. Bill Bruford.
Fri 30: Jive Aces @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Fri 30: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Northern Edge Coffee, Silver St., Berwick. 7:00pm.
Fri 30: Dan Coulthurst Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00 + £1.00. bf (www.wegottickets.com). Coulthurst (trumpet); Joel Steadman (bass clarinet, flute); Nico Widdowson (piano); Fergus Quill (double bass); Theo Goss (drums).

Sat 31: Darling Dollies @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Vocal trio.
Sat 31: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

FEBRUARY 2026

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet + guest Bill Watson (trumpet, flugelhorn).
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Annie & the Caldwells @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £25.00. adv. Gospel/soul.
Sun 01: Jive Aces @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Sun 01: Olly Styles Experience + Jenny Baker @ the Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject:Times of the Day & Trios.
Thu 05: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Special guest Emma Wilson.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

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 05, 2015

Tim Garland Quartet @ Sage Gateshead - May 4

Tim Garland (ten/sop); Jason Rebello )pno); Ant Law (gtrs); Asaf Sirkis  (dms).
(Review by Lance).
A stonker of a gig! Whew! Four of the UK's finest going for Gold and getting it! The opening Bill Evans composition, Re Person I Knew, set the mood for the evening which was beautiful. Ant Law, a man of many guitars, chose a 12 string for this number and, it blended perfectly. I have to confess that, until that moment in time, I'd regarded 12 string guitars as only slightly less allergic to my ears than banjos. Not anymore - at least not in the hands of Ant Law (I wonder if he also plays banjo?)
Rebello played plenty piano whilst Sirkis  produced every sound imaginable from his exotic kit.
Garland? Simply an object lesson in tenor playing (and later, soprano).
Tyne Song, from Garland's justly acclaimed Songs to the North Sky album, really did paint a picture of our beloved river capturing the mood perfectly - foggy, turbulent, the industry (what's left of it) and the merger with the North Sea - magic.
When our worthy saxophonist announced he was going to play tenor and piano simultaneously I thought to myself, is he going to play saxophone with his hands and piano with his feet? No, much more subtle than that!
He simply blew his tenor across the piano strings with the resulting vibrations blending perfectly.
Clever and effective!
Sirkis was merely fantastic, whether on hang drum or behind a kit that was surely purchased in a Persian Market Place he played with punch, drive and taste - what a guy!
This was one of those nights that you wished would never end!
Come back soon was my immediate thought as the final note was sounded and the applause died down.
The good news is that at least one of them will be back in the not too distant future.
Asaf Sirkis plays The Globe as part of guitarist Maciek Pysz's trio on November 21.
Lance.
PS: Just in case you think I've short-changed Jason Rebello I'll just add that I doubt if the Hall Two grand piano has ever sounded so good!
at

1 comment :

Hugh said...

Agreed, Lance and a strong contender for gig of the month, if not the year. Don't forget Ant Law is back in the region at Hexham on Wednesday 20th May (http://www.queenshall.co.uk/whats-on/seasons-diary/1011 ) - stiff competition from hall one at SageGateshead though!

Tuesday, May 05, 2015 8:11:00 pm

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive