Bebop Spoken There

John Donegan: ''What you take in through your ears can come out through your fingers.'' (Notes to Which Direction October, 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

19,041 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 905 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 26) 84.

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

October.

Tue 27: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. guest Julija Jacenaite.
Tue 27: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Wed 28: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 28: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 28: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 29: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 29: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 29: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 29: Radio Pensacola Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Featuring guest Jan Spencelayh.
Thu 29: Simon Taylor Band @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. £8.00.
Thu 29: King Bees @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.

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.

Sat 31: Saltburn Big Band + Durham Alumni Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Sat 31: East Coast Swing Band @ Cramlington Village Club, Park View, Cramlington NE23 6QJ. 7:30pm. £10.00. (from venue).

November

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet w. special guest Donna Hewitt (tenor sax, clarinet)
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Sarah Heneghan Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Alice Grace Quintet @ The Jazz Café - Sept. 18

Alice Grace (vcl); Paul Gowland (ten/alt); Peter Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Russ Morgan (dms).
(Review/photo by Lance/photos by Mike Tilley here).
A gig of two halves. The first marred by Ms Grace being slightly undermiked although not so much that her undoubted class didn't shine through. The second, however, was the real deal. Now everyone in the crowded room could appreciate this exciting, relatively new, voice on the local scene. 
Not that this was a one person show. The band were at the top of their game and the voice/tenor unison passages a joy to behold. Gowland took the tenor on magical journeys that mere mortals could only dream about. Gilligan's never ending quest to find the lost chord resulted in him not only discovering the elusive Ab min9(bb5) but also a whole bag of more complex ones. Russ Morgan, Mr Deadpan, but very much Mr Expressive when it comes to percussion. Paul Grainger had the honour of opening the show. Bass and voice first chorus then band explodes and PG3 drops down into support mode.
The repertoire was varied. Standards such as: Devil May Care; I Didn't Know What Time it Was; It Could Happen to You; There Will Never be Another You and On the Street Where You Live and modern jazz pieces by Dave Holland; Kenny Garrett; Roy Hargrove; Chick Corea; John Taylor and a couple of Kenny Wheeler's. Not surprisingly, these latter songs showed a distinct Norma Winstone influence.
Night in Tunisia featured the "famous (Charlie Parker) alto break" and Gowland blew it to perfection having switched from tenor to alto for this number. Gilligan played what, in years to come, if it ever gets on record, may become known as the "famous piano break". Alice turned this into an object lesson in scat-singing and Grainger and Morgan aided and abetted admirably.
Was this the gig of the year? Could be, a better sound balance in the first set and it would be!
Still a great night.
Lance.
at

1 comment :

Russell said...

If not for the minor sound difficulties, this was gig of the year for 'sense of occasion'. A fabulous night.

Saturday, September 19, 2015 10:36:00 am

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