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Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: '' A Love Supreme coincided with my search for meaning in life". (DownBeat, March 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

17873 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 194 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (March 14).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED PERMANENTLY!
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Nicknames.
Thu 20: Terri Green Experience @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.90.
Thu 20: King Bees @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb blues band.
Thu 20: Lindsay Hannon Trio @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Hannon’s ‘Tom Waits for No Man’ set.
Thu 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 21: Paul Skerritt @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 21: Giles Strong Quartet @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Fri 21: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Featuring special guest Martin Litton (piano).

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Swamp Stomp String Band @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Sat 22: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: The Great Deceivers @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Tom Atkinson & co play King Crimson (1969-1974). Atkinson (guitar); Josh Bentham (alto sax); Stu Dawson (bass); Jeff Armstrong (drums).

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: Fred Wesley & the New JB’s @ The Cluny. 7:30pm (doors). £27.50. POSTPONED! New date Wednesday 26 November.

Thu 27: Hannabiell & Midnight Blue @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 27: Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb blues duo.

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

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Euan Burton Quartet @ The Globe - Dec. 12

Euan Burton (bass); Adam Jackson (alto); Tom Gibbs (piano); Alyn Cosker (dms).
(Review by Minnie Fraser/Photo courtesy of Steve Horowitz/Gavin).
The band arrived in good time despite the weather - apparently there was no snow in Glasgow. This was the last date of their UK tour which had seen them travel the length of the country from Aberdeen to Poole in Dorset. Sadly, a number of those who had been planning to attend were prevented by a heavy fall of snow. However, the audience who did make it were very appreciative.
Euan Burton, who played his amazing fold away double bass brilliantly, has assembled an excellent quartet. Tom Gibbs, seen recently with Brian Molley at the Globe, exemplary on piano, Adam Jackson, sublime on alto sax and Alyn Cosker provided precocious percussion at the kit.
Two sets of original music made all the more enjoyable by Euan's explanations of their meaning or what they were meant to evoke.

The Implication, a name greatly simplified after a reviewer had said the tune had the worst title they had ever heard of! Well, we don't have mean reviewers like that here, especially as we would like to welcome these guys back again sometime!  Who cares about the name anyway when the music is so amazing!  Cosker's drumming was incredibly skilful - using sticks, brushes, mallets and occasionally bare hands - producing a great variety of sound ranging from driving rhythms that dominated down to gentle stroking of snare and closed hi-hat in the quieter moments.
Jackson was exceptional on alto sax, displaying an incredible range of musical gymnastics, from smooth tuneful and gentle, to soaring runs and occasional staccato. Gibbs gave wonderful accompaniment on the piano, but his solos were well worth waiting for. Burton's excellent double bass underpinned all the music, but he really came into his own when soloing although he wasn't greedy in that respect despite having composer's prerogative.
The variety in Burton's compositions gave us a very entertaining evening. Six was a good example of variety in a single piece (this tune is called "six" because it is the sixth track on Burton's album "Occurrences").  This was introduced as a piece about being dumped and veering from angry hate to sad heartbreak. The moods in the piece were clearly identifiable in loud and dissonant anger resolving into tuneful contemplative quietness with mournful sax and piano accompanied by gentle bass and very quiet brushing on the drums.
Earlier in the set we were treated to Any Given Sunday a title inspired by the amount of good live music available on a Sunday in Glasgow. Burton then admitted that it was only the title that was this inspired and the music had nothing to do with that!  We soon forgave him when he said he would rename it Any Given Saturday and dedicated it to Jazz Coop at The Globe!
The Quartet finished the evening with South to evoke a place with a warm climate. This piece started off with a lovely bass and drums duet with Cosker making the most of his toms and cross-sticks. The piano and sax joined in tunefully with smooth melodies interspersed with staccato play/pause. This built up to a crescendo leading to an excellent drum solo using the whole kit where Cosker's sticks were a blur! Well-deserved applause finished the evening. CDs were in sale at the end and Burton said "Christmas is coming, what better present is there than a cd of progressive jazz by someone you have never heard of?"  
Well you have heard of him now!
Minnie.

2 comments :

Lance said...

Thanks Minnie, as one one of the 'weather wimps' please explain the 'fold away double bass.'

Minnie said...

I have never seen one before - he loosened the strings, slid something and disconnected the neck which was then stowed inside the body through a section of the back which lifts out. The leg at the bottom also went inside. He said it was the only way they could get everything into one car - which is important for all their travelling!

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