Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ 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: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

CD Review: Racha Fora - Racha S'miles

Hiroaki Honshuku (flutes/piccolo/ewi); Rika Ikeda (violin); Mauricio Andrade (guitar); Rafael Russi (bass); Benhur Oliviera (pandeiro) + (on 3 tracks) Dave Liebman (sop sax).
(Review by Lance).
Described as Jazz improvisation over native Brazilian rhythms - a grooving hybrid music from Boston, Ma this sounded as if it might be a daunting prospect! Not so! This tribute to Miles Davis is quite delightful. The unusual combination of the flute/violin front-line over a Brazilian rhythm section works well.
Six compositions by Miles (Milestones; Blue in Green; Solar; All Blues; Circle and Seven Steps to Heaven). Two by Wayne Shorter (E.S.P. and Footprints) and four by Honshuku (Feather Roux; Chicken Don; Door 8 and Wood Row) are given original treatments all highly melodic and, at times, quite lyrical. Honshuku excels on flute, alto flute, piccolo and that strange beast the Electronic Wind Instrument. He studied with George Russell and works around that late great theorist's Lydian Chromatic Concept one of the few to capture fully the nuances of that conception. Front-line partner and fellow Japanese musician Ikeda is an exceptionally fluent player bringing a Grappelli-like elegance to her playing albeit with a more contemporary approach. The Brazilians bring their own native grooves to the table and, in doing so, prove that there's more to their music than mere bossa nova. Andrade's nylon strung guitar playing adds to solo credits with some impressive playing. Former David sideman Liebman makes his presence felt on three tracks ensuring that the spirit of Miles is never far away.
Lance

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