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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, 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

17985(and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 306 of them this year alone and, so far, 62 this month (April 26).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.

Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Seaburn. 4:30-6:15pm. Free.
Fri 02: Nauta @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:00pm. £7.50. A ‘Nauta’s House’ gig featuring Nauta & guests Shayo Oshodi & David Gray.
Fri 02: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 02: Dom Pipkin @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Solo piano.
Fri 02: Abbie Finn Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00. + bf.

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

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Leash @ Jazz Café, Newcastle – April 22

Mark Williams (gtr); Andy Champion (bs gtr); Adrian Tilbrook (dms).
(Review by Stephen Tulip/Photo courtesy of Vincent Chang)
Effects pedals seem to have been the order of the day in Newcastle on Friday with Andy Champion and Mark Williams measuring up against each other at the Jazz Café.
It's the first time I've heard Andy on electric bass and, if anything, he's even more impressive, drawing on both Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke, but doesn't everybody?  increasingly dominating the soloing, particularly in part 2, though the Weather Report mantra - we never solo, we always solo - also seems appropriate to this band. One person suggested the guitar and bass had swapped roles.
I know Mark’s playing quite well by now and a relative of mine had hoped to get his hat-trick playing with his local guitar heroes at the jam session, but the axe was hung up by the time we got there; another time perhaps.
Adrian Tilbrook is one of the most respected drummers around but was still a revelation, maintaining a semblance of order through some seriously abstract, far-out, free fusion that was bombarding him from right and left, and looking like he was having a ball the whole time.
It's a cliché but it's true, this is no guitar trio, but the ultimate north-east jazz super power trio of equals (and try saying all that after a skin-full). In short, the cream.
Comparisons abound, including various John McLaughlin groups and followers and Mark has a love of Pat Metheny that he wears on his sleeve. Also bands from the jazzy/experimental end of progrock and in Mark, (as with Steve Glendenning rocking out ), I always hear Jan Akkerman circa Focus 3, an album under-rated by prog-rockers and largely unknown to jazzers.
Insomuch as such things are relevant - and John Surman gave us permission not to concern ourselves with song titles - the second piece seemed more straightforward jazz in a Wes Montgomery vein; one intro suggested the proverbial Ravi Shankar tune-up (though thankfully nobody applauded ) and the set was sprinkled with melodies half recognised and by the end I was hearing Santana in the mix.
One tiny reservation, which is a personal thing, no doubt based on my own background, which applies to virtually every jazz guitarist of the moment, is that they all seem reluctant to completely let rip. By the mid-seventies even Zappa, who'd mocked his popstar antics, accepted the language of Hendrix and McLaughlin accepted it right off, though he saved turning up to eleven for the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Perhaps it's now considered a cliché or passé but it seems to me, to have this weapon and not use it is akin to an orchestra omitting the violin section, a seriously soulful singer supressing their pain, or Santana telling his percussionists to stand down. Towards the end of the set, following a lengthy freeform dialogue, I was all set for the guitar to spontaneously combust but instead we got a burst of St Thomas, which was actually just as good.
The encore was an ACV track which found all 3 giving a final workout at full pelt. Andy pointed out they were 60% of Mark 1 and, when asked where the other 2 were, offered Prince and Victoria Wood followed by the retort 'too soon?'
With something at the Globe and a very tempting night in Darlington, attendance was pretty good with us oldies the most appreciative and those pesky thirty somethings a little noisy, though not disrespectful or distracting and the oldies didn't seem to mind unless they're simply used to it. It's a shame, with every household now owning Kind of Blue, at least, more of the jazz/ music community around Newcastle don't get to hear more of the great bands who play the citys' jazz venues.  
Somebody said he wouldn't speak to me again if I gave a bad review. As if I could.
Steven

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