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).

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Tetra @ Sage Gateshead - Oct. 26

Julian Argülles (ten/sop); Kit Downes (pno); Sam Lasserman (bs); James Maddren (dms).
(Review by Lance)
Our reviewer, Hugh, said, of Tetra's new CD, "Tetra is a burst of golden sunshine and will warm the listener during the shortening autumn days".
The golden sunshine didn't quite warm my Autumn days. Indeed, at times, it made them even shorter. This was music aimed at the jazz thinker (I know a few). It was cerebral, reflective, searching, probing.
After Sunday night's belter by the Greek at Blaydon, the Spanish sax man went down a different, longer, winding, road. Four musicians of unquestionable ability, when the heat was on they fanned the flames without ever quite making it a furnace.. Downes solo on Nitty Gritty would have been exceptional even without the  harp-like plucking of the piano strings - in fact,  particularly without the  harp-like plucking of the piano strings! Argülles alternated 'twixt tenor and soprano, always walking before he ran but, when he did run, it was Moe Farah set to music. Blowing tenor and soprano tubes brilliantly, albeit not as loosely as he once did, this was music that didn't go immediately for the jugular but, instead, got there eventually.
Lasserman, sound as a pound, and Maddren the man for any gig, any genre, anywhere, combined with the other two to make this a gig that the Hall Two, ground floor, audience thoroughly approved.
Most of the material was from the CD that Hugh reviewed here and perhaps that review gives a better picture of the concert than my own slant - my mind was still at Blaydon!.
Lance.

1 comment :

Hugh said...

Fair enough, Lance - I enjoyed it though...

... and JA is such a nice guy, very easy to talk to!

Blog Archive