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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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

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.

Fri 21: JazzMain @ 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: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. TBC.
Fri 21: Emma Rawicz w. Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

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: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ 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: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

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

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Prince and the Prince of Darkness

The worldwide publicity surrounding the death of rock legend Prince left me with nothing further to say. After all, he had little jazz affinity - or did he?
I began to wonder after reading a 1989 quote from Miles Davis saying "He [Prince] can be the new Duke Ellington of our times" seeing in Prince a kindred spirit to himself. The two did record and Davis featured several Prince compositions.Investigating further, I discovered references to Madhouse, a jazz/fusion band he formed with saxist Eric Leeds in Minnesota although I haven't heard them.
The photo shows Miles and Prince on NYE 1987 at Paisley Park.
This link tells more about the connection with Miles
Prince died on April 21, age 57, sadly missed by his many fans.
Rest In Peace.
Lance.

4 comments :

Patti said...

Dance, Music, Sex, Romance - what else is there to say indeed! What a genius .... and I've always loved the colour purple!

Richard Waddington said...

Having significant knowledge of Princes' music: my brother and best friend travelled to Edinburgh and Scotland respectively to see him, I have another friend who is a big fan, my wife likes him and I've heard a number of his albums and have been working through them chronologically; knowing Miles as an idol, or as near to an idol as I do these days, I can't help wondering whether Miles was being mischievous comparing Prince to Duke, who he refers to in his auto/ biography as the King of Jazz. Like Sinatra saying ' Something ' was the best love song for fifty years and attributing it to Lemon and McCartney.
Like Bowie, Prince was an accomplished popstar, doing the haircuts, clothes and attempting to create a media mystique, and like Bowie, he was one of the best though, unlike Bowie he was a fine guitarist, though the multi-instrumentalist bit is overstated.
Like Michael Jackson he was a better popstar than he was a Soul Artist.
He made enough good music to fill up a CD while Miles made dozens of great albums, many of which should be rated amongst the best albums ever made, and Duke made countless classics and may well be Americas' great composer.
Long after his contribution to music was over Miles remained a prickly character and we possibly shouldn't take everything he said too seriously.

Patti said...

Maybe it should be Music, Dance, Romance, Sex - in that order! But it probably wouldn't have scanned quite so well, with Prince's music!

Richard Waddington said...

Just come across an interesting quote in Rickey Vincents' tome 'Funk'.' When pop superstar Prince intimated that ' it's time for jazz to die ' in 1983, he touched the pulse of the musical community.' Given the trajectory of Miles at that time and his position within the jazz community which was turning its back on electricity, his comment seems less surprising. Plus there was that wardrobe to browse through.

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