Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18656 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 520 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 25) 72

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

June

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 30: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

July

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 02: De’Sean Jones & Blaque Dynamite feat. Urban Art Orchestra @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). De’Sean Jones (MD, tenor sax); Blaque Dynamite (Mike Mitchell, drums); Jamie Murray (drums) with UAO horns & strings.
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Thu 02: Howlin’ Mat @ Newcastle Arts centre. 7:30pm. Free. Acoustic

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Paul Donnelly Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: Martin Taylor @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Taylor (solo guitar).

Sat 04: Spats Langham’s Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:00-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Take the ‘A’ Train to Summertime: From Melody to Masterclass. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Kevin Eland (trumpet).
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Zoë Gilby/Alan Law Duo @ the Jazz Café - Sept. 12

Zoë Gilby (voice); Alan Law (pno).
(Review by Cathy)
Is there no end to the girl’s talents? It would seem not.
For all of those who missed Saturday night’s gig at the Jazz Café (there were none of the usual scribes in attendance) I feel this is one event which should not pass by unheralded.
A goodly number of folk, most of them younger than the usual suspects, enjoyed a performance to remember. Zoe and Alan giving their renditions of The Beatles, interspersed with bossa novas from the American Song Book, was fantastic.

 To name just a few from the many Beatles Albums, we had Girl, Yesterday, I Will (heartrending stuff) whilst some of the bossa’s included Nature Boy, One Note Samba and No More Blues.
Alan opened the second set with a fantastic version of She’s So Heavy (That got the ones talking at the far end of the bar to shut up – quite an achievement).
Zoe evoked many moods and there were smiles and laughter as she delivered her raunchy Sexy Sadie and Why Don’t We Do It in the Road. Fantastic indeed. A very feel good evening with shouts for more at the end, what could be better.
Why do people overlook the wonderful work of the Beatles? It has certainly stood the test of time, the younger audience lapped it up and the older ones were on cloud nine.
Thank You Zoe and Alan, please do it again soon.
Cathy.
at

5 comments :

Anne DeVere Harper (on F/b) said...

well done Zoe and Alan-----Wish we had been there!

Sunday, September 13, 2015 7:47:00 pm
Lance said...

Wow Kathy! - your review, networked on F/b, has so far had 12 likes and counting!

Sunday, September 13, 2015 7:50:00 pm
Alan Law said...

Thanks for the lovely review, it really worked well, Zoe was fabulous, as ever. It’s difficult to gauge how much to rearrange some of those iconic tunes, that are after all, national, and international treasures.
But we had a go, and it went much better than we could have hoped, and did feel like one of those special nights in the jazz cafe.
I thank you very much for taking the time to review it

Sunday, September 13, 2015 8:21:00 pm
Dave Parker said...

Zoe Gilby is running a course for jazz vocalists, with Alan Law on piano, starting at the Globe on Tuesday 22 September. Details here
http://jazz.coop/events/event/stronger-jazz-voices-course-2/

Sunday, September 13, 2015 10:44:00 pm
Russell said...

Great review Kathy. You must do more!

Monday, September 14, 2015 4:46:00 pm

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