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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

17972 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 293 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (April 22).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

Sat 26: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Darlington. 12 noon. Free (donations).
Sat 26: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 26: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. Tickets: £12.00. + bf. Duo performance.
Sat 26: Neil Cowley Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.50.
Sat 26: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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: ???

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, May 08, 2016

NUJO @ JRA Community Festival. May 7

 Charles Philp (leader/guitar), Joe Davies (trumpet), Dominic Lodge (alto), George Simons (keyboards), Dr Nicholas Loughlin (electric bass) & Edward McCartney-Moore (drums)
(Review by Russell)
This year’s Jesmond Community Festival opened on Friday evening with a ‘Bats and Moths’ session in Jesmond Dene. Local residents (and others) were invited to ‘Learn about the different species of bats and moths that live in the UK’. A festival brochure   insisted ‘all children must be accompanied’. Imposing SAT tests on young children is contentious, insisting they take a bat along to Jesmond Dene is simply ridiculous…
The following evening another species of leafy Jesmond wildlife would be put under a musical microscope in Jesmond Library. 
A rare opportunity to examine Middleclassus Studentus (Musica) in daylight drew a capacity audience. Usually found at 2:00am in a euphoric state staggering between/bumping into Jesmond Tanks on Osborne Road with pizza box in hand, the more civilised hour of seven o’clock had a sobering effect on the examinees. One or two ties were in evidence on the stage (floor) as six members of the Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra assembled to play ‘pieces in no particular order’.
‘Jazz Night’ at Jesmond Library took the form of two sets, interval nibbles and a pad of standards, of which some would be recognisable to the none-jazz fan (the audience was comprised of those who are never seen on the scene…you know the type). All enjoyed, all applauded on cue. Band leader Charlie Philp had primed the assembled Jesmonites, suggesting it was the done thing to applaud solos as we went along. Jolly good.
The band’s set list followed the printed programme (‘pieces in no particular order’), at least for the entirety of the first set with So What, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Girl from Ipanema, a respectful Misty and guitarist Philp impressing on Mr PC some of the early highlights. A university big band is, more often than not, comprised of students reading anything other than music! The level of ability never fails to impress. A sextet assembled for this festive occasion included six-string bassist Nicholas Loughlin. The material didn’t hold any fears for the young man, ‘more than competent’ would be the assessment of Dr Nick. Band leader Philp took great delight in emphasising Dr Nicholas Loughlin as the bassist learned the previous day he had been awarded a doctorate in mathematics! His thesis was something to do with Idempotents in diagram algebras. Pass.
Guitarist Philp is a keen participant at the Jazz Café’s jam sessions and it would be good to see a few more students following in his and alto player Jordan Alfonso’s footsteps in getting up to play at Pink Lane. One such is Dominic Lodge. Another alto saxophonist, a band leader too (MD, Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra at the recent Great North Big Band Jazz Festival), Lodge is to give his degree finals’ recital at the Mining Institute on Tuesday 17 May (4:45pm). Open to the public, get along to support Dominic Lodge and several other students on the day.
The Jesmond Residents Association concert resumed with a familiar number – All Blues. Dizzy’s influence was heard on Night in Tunisia with Joe Davies blowing good trumpet, Monk’s Blue Monk followed, Coltrane’s arrangement of My Favourite Things served to highlight Lodge’s abilities and the engine room boys Dr Loughlin, George Simons (keys) and undemonstrative drummer Edward McCartney-Moore held it all together.
Jesmond Residents Association presents another jazz night on Monday 16 May, starting at 7:30pm. The Tyne Trio features vocalist Gina Devine, Charlie Philps will be involved and a number of guests will be sitting in.  
Russell.

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