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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17733 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 53 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Jan. 20).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Thu 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free. Fortnightly.
Thu 23: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Obituaries 2024.
Thu 23: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:30-6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Thu 23: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 24: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Lindisfarne Social Club, Wallsend. 9:00pm. Admission: TBC. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.

Sat 25: Boys of Brass @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 25: New '58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson's Wharf, Hartlepool. 6:30pm (doors). Free. A Burns' Night event. Jazz, swing, funk, soul, blues etc.
Sat 25: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Parish Hall, St Barnabas’ Church, Rowlands Gill. 7:30pm. £10.00. BYOB (tea & coffee available), raffle. Proceeds to St Barnabas’ Church. Performance feat. Shayo (vocals).
Sat 25: Jack & Jay’s Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Graham Hardy Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 26: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:30pm. Free.
Sun 26: Gratkowski, Tramontana, Beresford, Affifi @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

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

Saturday, August 01, 2015

Down Beat Hereby Declares…

(Report by Returning Officer Russell)
Down Beat magazine’s annual critics’ poll results are in. Inevitably American musicians dominated, although some British names garnered a healthy number of votes. Vijay Iyer bagged both the ‘Jazz Artist’ and ‘Jazz Group’ awards in the 63rd annual critics’ poll.
A host of other category winners would be ‘dream ticket’ gigs should they ever get as far as Tyneside. ‘Jazz Album’ winner Rudresh Mahanthappa (for Bird Calls) would do good business at Gateshead International Jazz Festival, as would Darcy James Argue. Topping the ‘Big Band’ poll, just ahead of Maria Schneider, imagine either (both!) of these bands at Sage Gateshead! The Cookers were the hit of this year’s festival and their album Time and Time Again placed well, and, no doubt to their amusement, won the Rising Star Jazz Group category. Aye, these young ‘uns will go far!
The saxophone section winners would be welcome guests in the north east. Best soprano – Wayne Shorter, best alto – Rudresh Mahanthappa, best tenor – Joe Lovano and finally, best baritone – Gary Smulyan. Making the top ten in the clarinet poll is Evan Christopher and the good news is that you can hear the man in Hall Two at Sage Gateshead, Tuesday 6th October. The runaway winner in the clarinet category was Anat Cohen. Two British pianists made the top twenty – Gary Husband and Django Bates – won by Robert Glasper
Two Bebop Spoken Here favourites won their respective categories by a street. Gregory Porter, Male Vocalist (Kurt Elling second) and Cécile McLorin Salvant, Female Vocalist.
Maria Schneider won both ‘Composer’ and ‘Arranger’ awards (Darcy James Argue took third place in both polls). Schneider will be touring Britain later this year. A concert date on Tyneside would be something else! Several Brits made their mark in various ‘Rising Star’ polls; Nathaniel Facey made the top twenty in the soprano sax category (topped by Ingrid Laubrock, a regular visitor to Tyneside), Shabaka Hutchings entered the clarinet top ten, flautist Gareth Lockrane scored well, Kit Downes featured in ‘Keyboard’ and ‘Organ’ lists (Alexander Hawkins the top Brit in the latter category) and Chris Garrick made the top twenty violinists. ‘Rising Star’ Vibraphone makes interesting reading. A trio of British stars – Jim Hart, Corey Mwamba and Lewis Wright – have played great gigs in the north east and are highly regarded by American critics. Ian Shaw will have a chuckle that he is considered a ‘Rising Star Vocalist’. Shaw is a star!
Of the above names, Gregory Porter is a confirmed starter at next year’s Sage Gateshead International Jazz Festival. Will any of the others make the cut?   
Russell.

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