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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00-2:00pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 14: Fiona Finden’s Jazz Express @ Flash House Brewing Co., North Shields. 8:00pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 16: MOBO Song @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 12 noon. Free, performances on the concourse. Line-up inc. Jazz Attack (on stage time TBC) & Jambone (12:20pm).
Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 16: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: BBC Introducing NE X MOBO Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Jambone, Knats, Rivkala, SwanNek.
Sun 16: The Shayo Experience @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 16: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. .

Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Matt Forster Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 17: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Jazz Milestones - 1975.
Thu 20: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 20: Orange Claw Hammer + Peony @ The Globe, Newcastle.7:30pm. Orange Claw Hammer play Captain Beefheart.
Thu 20: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Featuring special guest Zoë Gilby.

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 06, 2015

Mike Durham's Classic Jazz Party - Village Hotel. the afternoon set Friday Nov. 6

(Review by Lance).
Frankly, I can't think of any Jazz Festival/Party - call it what you may - like this one. Party, I think, is the operative word because that's what it is, an annual get together of musicians and fans from all over the world to play or listen to jazz which lives up to it's title - Mike Durham's Classic Jazz Party.
Conceived by the late Mike Durham, and continued in his name by Patti Durham, Allen Walton and their team of helpers, the weekend comprises themed concerts from noon till night with after hours jam sessions into the early hours, it is little wonder that many book into the Village Hotel for the whole 3 days.
The festival actually began for those staying at the hotel on Thursday with an hour's set in the Victory Pub by the Union Rhythm Kings.
I wasn't resident so I missed this and today's opening sets which began with a Tribute to Mike, followed by a Memphis Five set and our own fave Emma Fisk's Hot Club de France. Emma on fiddle with Spats Langham, Martin Wheatley (gtrs) and Henri Lemaire (bs)..
I did arrive in time to catch the remnants of Litton's Jelly Roll set. Martin Litton emulated the Jelly Roll Morton Red Hot Peppers and, on Wolverine Blues, Josh Duffee (pictured above) gave a masterclass on the use of skulls, woodblocks and other bits of paraphernalia that the early drummers loved and used so effectively.
Rico and Bunny Berigan  -  an absolute gem! Rico (Enrico Tomasso (right) - with Matthias Seuffert) had the Berigan style off to a B. I've always regarded Berigan (Rico too) as a player who combined the bravura of Armstrong with the lyricism of Bix which, at the time, was surely a heady cocktail indeed! I particularly enjoyed their re-creation of the legendary Jam Session at Victor session by Berigan, Tommy Dorsey, Fats, Dick McDonough and George Wettling. Today it was Rico, Robert Fowler (on clarinet), Alistair Allen, Keith Nichols, Malcolm Sked (bs) and Richard Pite. Honeysuckle Rose and Blues. Rico said he grew up with those 2 sides. You and me too Rico!
The Avant-Garde, Nichols, Mole was, I suppose, avant-garde(ish) for it's time and did give me a chance to, at last hear Emma. That it was fairly straight playing on My Gal Sal didn't matter - in the going for broke ending she held her head high! Andy Schumm and Alistair Allen did Red Nichols and Miff Mole proud
An entertaining set featuring Spats Langham - Spats and his Hot Combination - added some jocularity to the proceedings even though Spats declared that Blue Evening would be the saddest song they'd hear all weekend - possibly ever!  It was melancholic despite there not being a wet eye in the house!
The afternoon session drew to a close with Frisco Jazz - Lu Watters. This was a particular delight for me. For years the 'pundits' have slighted or ignored Watters' Yerba Buena Jazz Band  - the Penguin Guide to Jazz and the Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz ignore them yet, compared to the British 'Traddies' that came later, this was far superior. The gang assembled here by Keith Nichols put the record straight.
Lance.
For further details of today's concerts, personnel and those to follow click here.

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