Total Pageviews

7310416

Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

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

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

CD Review: Ninna Milner: Songs For Sentient Beings

(Review by Ann Alex)
I’m so pleased to be reviewing this CD on International Women’s Day, as it’s an excellent example of what women can achieve with music. I was concerned when I read on the publicity sheet that the album was ‘for and to the sentient beings of our planet’, which sounded a bit pompous to my ears, but there is nothing pompous at all about the CD, which gives us fine jazz-influenced music and lyrics with an original, quirky and sometimes moving twist.  For example, there are 2 songs about contemporary concerns: Dear Humans deals with climate change and the earth is speaking to us: ‘I’m as old as the hills/ and forever your mother/but your way of living kills/You need me, sisters and brothers/It seems that you don’t bother."
When The Boat Comes In addresses the issue of the immigrants coming by sea, and compares boats entering safe tourist harbours such as Dublin with boats of immigrants coming to other parts of Europe.  The rest of the songs deal with life and love in general, with titles such as Let Me Be Your Favourite Song; Back To Wellington; Wednesday In October; Hoi An; That’s What He Said; This Too Shall Pass; Such A Sunday; Paris On My Tongue and a booklet of lyrics is supplied.  Ms Milner’s voice is gentle-toned and sweet, every word is clear, and the musicians supply effective solos and they know how to swing when appropriate. This Too Shall Pass gives us lovely riffs on the violin, and on the song about immigrants, the organ plays in gospel style. The accordion goes Latin on Such A Sunday.
There isn’t much information given about these two talented women, except to say that they met in that place of significance for women, a toilet queue! 
Ann Alex.
Ninna Milner: Songs For Sentient Beings was released on March 6 and WiMi 21 may be the catalogue number, but this is not clear from the publicity sheet. 
Ninna Milner (composer, vocals); Christine Bojsen Traeden (lyrics); Mads Sondergaard (piano, accordion); Tomas Raae (upright bass); Janus Templeton (drums, perc); Regin Fuhlendorf (guitar, banjo); Dan Hemmer (organ, moog); Annmare Soffi Petersen (violin).
(Singers on Dear Humans: Ninna Milner, Birgitte Soojin, Bobo Moreno, Persille Ingerslev, Kira Martini, Esben Just, Sinne Eeg).
at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive