Bebop Spoken There

Ethan Hawke (starring as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon): ''Larry [Lorenz] Hart would be so happy that his music and his words and his poetry are still alive.'' - The Northern Echo 27 November 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

18000 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 964 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 24).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Sun 07: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. special guest Donna Hewitt (sax, clarinet).
Sun 07: Finn-Keeble Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 07: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio + Ruth Lambert.
Sun 07: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Jason Isaacs Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 5:15pm (4:00pm doors). £21.50 (inc. bf).
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3 Stories, High St. West, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Support set from Play More Jazz! course participants. Note earlier start.

Mon 08: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 09: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm

Wed 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 10: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Mike Lindup Jazz Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £26.50 (inc. bf). Lindup, Yolanda Charles (bass), John Sam (drums).
Wed 10: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £12.00.

Thu 11: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: West Coast (cool ) / Wordsearch (cool) Cool Jazz or ‘Cold’, ‘Cool’, ‘Hot’, ‘Warm’ in the title or lyrics.
Thu 11: George Robinson @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £5.42 (inc. bf). Vienna’s Voice charity evening featuring ’15 year old singing sensation the ‘Redcar Crooner’ George Robinson’. Over 35s only.
Thu 11: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. back tapes.
Thu 11: Ransom Van @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 11: Down for the Count Swing Orchestra @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:30pm. £37.70 (inc. bf). ‘Swing into Xmas’.

Fri 12: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 12: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £15.00. ‘Xmas Soiree’.
Fri 12: A Jazzy Xmas @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £15.00. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, soprano sax); Matthew Forster (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 12: Tony Hadley: Xmas Big Band Tour 2025 @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Fri 12: Alexia Gardner @ The New Ship Inn, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. 8:00pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy, Abbie Finn.
Fri 12: Jive Aces: Swingin’ Xmas Show @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm.

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

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Jazz Café Jam Session - Sept. 15

Peter Gilligan (pno); John Pope (bs/bs gtr); Paul Wight (dms) + Paul Edis (pno); Nick Gould/Paul Gowland/Stu Finden (ten); Fi Finden (sop/vcl); Jordan Alonzo (alt); Luke Stewart-Smith (bs); Joe Fowler (tmb); Thanos/Tom Lapworth (gtr); Marek Podstawek/Matt MacKellar/Rob Bates (dms).
(Review by Lance).
As the above line-up (apologies if I've missed anyone) indicates this was quite a night! The room was crowded, the joint was jumpin'. Axemen were jostling to get up and blow, the bar was doing good business and there were many new faces in the audience and a few different languages.
At one stage the playing area was a train crash as the drum set up was changed from southpaw to orthodox, amps were plugged and unplugged, microphones sought after, keys decided upon - the usual jam session activities.
As per, the evening began with the house trio of Gilligan, Pope and Wight setting the pace with Emily; Speak Low and Time Remembered.
Nick Gould dropped down from Edinburgh (as one does), Paul Edis flew in from Chester-le-St (or wherever), the pair, along with Pope and Wight, met On Green Dolphin Street. Love For Sale - an appropriate song for those of us who remember Pink Lane from years ago - and My Foolish Heart sounded good.
The Findens, along with Tom Lapworth on guitar and a stickman from Poland - Marek Podstawek - played what may have been Tenor Madness but probably wasn't.
Things started to get confused around about now as musos came and went. Paul Gowland took over on tenor, Jordan Alonzo added alto, Joe Fowler blew his new synthetic trombone - the sound was anything but synthetic - Matt and Rob on kit and Thanos, guitar, along with Stewart-Smith, bass, combined to keep things afloat.
I, unfortunately, couldn't stay until the end as I'm sure there were others who may well have contributed. As I left I noticed "Blue Hat" with tenor case but whether "Blue Hat" blew I didn't have time to find out. The Central Metro station now closes at 8pm Sunday to Thursday (until June next year!) so it meant a trip across town to the castle and the good old number 27.
Photos.
Lance.

5 comments :

Liz said...

three cheers for the 27!

Patti D. said...

Great review, Lance - and Mr Blue Hat didn't get the chance with his tenor ....... the lights flickered for the end of the session shortly after you left. And you're right - the joint was jumping ......

Anonymous said...

*sought after

Lance said...

There's always one! Thank you Ms Anonymous-Pernickety for pointing out that grave error of mine. I will correct it immediately!

Liz said...

it wasn't me!!

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