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

Fri 05: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 05: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 05: Jazzy Xmas @ Redhills, Durham. 7:30-10:00pm. £10.00., £9.00., £8.00. Miners’ Hall, Flass St., Durham. Feat. Durham University Big Band & Durham University Jazz Orchestra.
Fri 05: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 05: Alligator Gumbo @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £16.96. Saltburn Jazz Xmas Party.

Sat 06: Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 06: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Minor Swing. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 06: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 06: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76 (inc. bf).
Sat 06: Kaberry Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. (inc. hot buffet). ‘Christmas 1945’. Kaberry Big Band, formerly Vermont Big Band.
Sat 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ Platform 1, Bedlington. 7:30pm. £6.00. Rhythm & blues.
Sat 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. Xmas Party with buffet.
Sat 06: The Jive Aces @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £22.00., £20.00.
Sat 06: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

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’.

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, October 21, 2015

Jazz Café Jam Session - Oct. 19

(Review by Lance).
18 and counting! Last night was one of those nights when everybody and their grandmother were there. On stage the age range went from 13 to infinity and they came from Norway and America as well as Durham, Sunderland and points west.
I Thought About You and Someday My Prince Will Come by the house trio set the ball rolling. They were on fire from bar one and it served as an appetising taster for tonight's Cherry Tree gig by Peter, Paul and Steve Glendinning (guitar).
From now on, with a few exceptions, it was New Faces - some barely reached puberty!
Ben Dovinson blew Misty. Nervous at first but, by his next number, was it Blue Bossa? he'd gained confidence and justified the applause given.
From Norway came Arvid Nordhus, a bluesman playing harmonica and shouting Summertime like as though he was from the Mississippi delta. Bradley on guitar for this one.
Next it was Stu Finden on double bass, Paul Gowland, alto, Fiona Finden, voice and Dylan Thompson on drums.
Thompson played with a drive that belied his 13 years - this guy will go far!
And so the night rolled on. Dylan's brother Alex - all of 15 - played alto, 14 year old Nathan Lawson was on guitar. All three had been heard by Russell busking outside Fenwick's and responded to his invitation to jam bringing, seemingly, a bus load of supporters.
Matt Jacobs took over the piano stool and gave us an idea of what to expect on Friday night at Pizza Express, Dean St., Newcastle where the Matt Jacobs Trio open up a monthly jazz gig (8pm). Rob Bates played drums as did Nick Kalenak. Nick majored in the USA and is going on to Leeds to do a master's degree. Former hit man of the Durham University Big Band Duncan Walker played soprano as did Fiona and the evening drew to a close with Steve and Joel Brown on bass and piano respectively.
What a night and what a lot of talent there is around these days!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwVDkaLEBSw 
Lance.
Peter Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Russ Morgan (dms) + Ben Dovinson (tmb); Bradley Johnston (gtr); Arvid Nordhus (hca/vcl);  Stu Finden (bs); Fiona Finden (vcl/sop); Dylan Thompson (dms); Rob Bates (dms); Matt Jacobs (pno); Nathan Lawson (gtr); Alex Thompson (alt); Duncan Walker (sop); Nick Kalenak (dms); Paul Gowland (alt); Joel Brown (pno); Steve Brown (bs).

2 comments :

Keith Thompson said...

Many thanks Russell, for suggesting Alex, Nathan & Dylan come along and Play, they loved it! Here's slink to Work Song from last night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwVDkaLEBSw

Russell said...

A really good night from young Dylan, Alex and Nathan to Matt to Joel and everyone else!

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