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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17733 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 53 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Jan. 20).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Fri 24: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Lindisfarne Social Club, Wallsend. 9:00pm. Admission: TBC. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.

Sat 25: Boys of Brass @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 25: New '58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson's Wharf, Hartlepool. 6:30pm (doors). Free. A Burns' Night event. Jazz, swing, funk, soul, blues etc.
Sat 25: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Parish Hall, St Barnabas’ Church, Rowlands Gill. 7:30pm. £10.00. BYOB (tea & coffee available), raffle. Proceeds to St Barnabas’ Church. Performance feat. Shayo (vocals).
Sat 25: Jack & Jay’s Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Graham Hardy Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 26: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:30pm. Free.
Sun 26: Gratkowski, Tramontana, Beresford, Affifi @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

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

Friday, November 13, 2015

Laura Jurd's Dinosaur/Lab Trio @ the Lit and Phil - Nov.12

A Match and Fuse gig
Laura Jurd's Dinosaur: Laura Jurd (trumpet); Elliott Galvin (piano); Conor Chaplin (electric bass); Corrie Dick (drums).
Lab Trio: Bram de Looze (piano); Anneleen Boehme (double bass); Lander Gyselinck (drums).
(Review by Steve H/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).
Laura Jurd has visited Tyneside several times in recent years and on Wednesday night she returned to the Lit and Phil with an original line up which had not previously played here before. The band rebranded as Dinosaur proved to be anything but extinct. The set started off safely and pleasantly with all 4 musicians demonstrating their considerable talents both collectively and individually. 
Laura then introduced a piece she had previously played in Newcastle with a string quartet whilst also explaining that Conor Chaplin’s electric bass had somehow got left behind, luckily local hero bass supremo Andy Champion was able to provide a suitable replacement.  
The rendition of Happy Sad Song proved to be one of the musical highlights of the year each member of the band reaching uncharted territory as the music swirled and soared gloriously throughout the auditorium. The playing seemed to move through all the different musical genres – classical, funk, free jazz, bebop and back again. Jurd’s use of electronics with the trumpet were marvellously innovative. At the end of the extended piece the audience were completely enthralled - the collective work of the quartet having inspired and moved everybody present.
Earlier in the evening, we were treated to a performance by Lab Trio. Previously my 3 favourite Belgians were Rene Magritte, Plastic Betrand and Tin Tin (given the nature of the blog we must also mention saxophone inventor Adolphe Sax), De Looze, Boehme and Gyselinck will now need to be added to this illustrious list. The trio, almost Jarrettesque in style, played a mixture of original and covers to great effect. Unfashionably communicative for a bass player, Boehme introduced band members and the tunes played. The range went from Bach to the theme from Twin Peaks . On their original composition Two Polar Bears, Boehme enhanced the instrumental with some atmospheric vocals. The final piece of the trio’s set took me a while to work out but it was a charming interpretation of 80’s pop legend Rick Astley’s Never Going to Give You Up.
Between the two sets, as is customary with Match and Fuse gigs, a combination of the bands merge together for a collective improvisation. On this particular evening we were entertained by a combination of Jurd and Dick from Dinosaur and Boehme and de Looze from Lab Trio.
Steve H.

2 comments :

Unknown said...

Pssssttt it's Boehme ;)

Lance said...

Apologies. Editorial errors now corrected.

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