Total Pageviews

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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.CANCELLED!
Thu 10: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. A Globe fundraiser (all proceeds to the venue).
Thu 10: Exhaust: Camila Nebbia/Kit Downes/Andrew Lisle @ Jesmond URC, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. JNE.
Thu 10: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Feat. guests Ray Dales & Jackie Summers.

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

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Brian Molley Quartet @ the Globe, Newcastle. June 13

Brian Molley (ten/sop/clt); Tom Gibbs (pno); Mario Calibe (bs, uke); Stuart Brown (dms).
(Review by Lance).
From the opening bars of Get Happy, the chosen few - and we did feel privileged - knew that there was an evening of musical delight ahead. So what that some folks had opted for Kid Creole and the Coconuts at the Bowling Club, Mrs Brown's Boys at the Arena or Matt [Anderson] and Paul [Edis] at the Jazz Café instead of the swingingest band this side of New York (a situation soon to be changed as BMQ are off to NY to play the Rochester International Jazz Festival next Sunday as well as a couple of other Big Apple gigs)? We knew who'd got the best deal!

The Destinesia (of Fred and George): a Molley original inspired by the lives of Chopin and George Sand oozed lyricism, Molley's dry sound brought Warne Marsh to mind. Mrs Brown's boy Stuart, using mallets, brought in  Iris and her Bow (Beaux?) - a gentle Brazilian breeze that wafted across the intimate surrounds of the Globe Jazz Bar.
The mood changed for Chance of Chan and Molley switched to soprano for this portrait of Charlie Parker's widow. A boppy opus that could easily have been mistaken for a Bird rather than a Brian original.
Cara y Cruz brought the set to a close with belters from all four guys.
A chance to chat with Brian Molley and to wish him well for his trip across the pond.
The strangely titled When I Talk About Swimming opened the second set followed by  a gorgeous September Song. The Kurt Weill piece is one of the best, if not the best, of the 'third season' songs and Molley did it justice. This was ballad playing to die for! So too was Caribe's bass solo...
More balladry with What'll I Do? followed by Para Praxis. Molley blew a long cadenza before the latter kicked off and it was a deserving finale to an evening of sheer magic.
Of course when the band say, finale, we all know it isn't and the four troupers gave us Om Dois Troi which had Molley on clarinet and Caribe on cavaquino which looked like a deep bodied ukulele.
It was a brief jaunty trip through the rainforests of Brazil before dispatching us off into the rain jungles of Newcastle city centre.
Throughout the gig Tom Gibbs, quiet and reticent, played some amazing piano - sympathetic and always on the money. Brown and Caribe too - could you wish for a better rhythm section?
Come back soon and bring some Glaswegians with you!
Lance.

No comments :

Blog Archive