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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

17945 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 266 of them this year alone and, so far, 22 this month (April 8).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.CANCELLED!
Thu 10: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. A Globe fundraiser (all proceeds to the venue).
Thu 10: Exhaust: Camila Nebbia/Kit Downes/Andrew Lisle @ Jesmond URC, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. JNE.
Thu 10: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Feat. guests Ray Dales & Jackie Summers.

Fri 11: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: John Rowland Trio: The Music of Ben Webster @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Rowland (tenor sax); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Fri 11: Imelda May @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 11: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ Cullercoats Watch House. 7:30-9:00pm. Free (donations).

Sat 12: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 12: Rob Heron & the Tea Pad Orchestra + House of the Black Gardenia + King Bees @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 6:30pm (doors). £18.00.
Sat 12: Bright Street Big Band @ Washington Arts Centre. 6:30pm. £12.00. Event includes swing dance taster session, DJ dance session. Bright Street Big Band on stage 7:30-8:15pm & 8:45-9:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Imelda May @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £42.20. SOLD OUT!
Sat 12: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 13: Daniel John Martin with Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 13: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 13: Hejira: A Celebration of Joni Mitchell @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £22.50.
Sun 13: Wilkinson/Edwards/Noble + Chojnacki @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £13.20., £11.00. JNE.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Zoë Gilby Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: 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

Friday, May 13, 2016

The Ronnie Scott’s Club Quintet - The Ronnie Scott’s Story @ Gala Theatre, Durham. May 12.

James Pearson (pno/narration); Alex Garnett (ten/narration; Freddie Gavita (tpt); Sam Burgess (bs); Chris Higginbottom (dms).
(Review by Lance).
The show opened with a clip of Ronnie Scott from the film Misterioso. The one where Ronnie is in his office practicing then breaking off to answer the phone. "What time do we start? What time can you get here?"
The audience laughed and that was the pattern throughout the evening. All the old chestnuts were rolled out sometimes on screen by Ronnie, sometimes as part of Garnett's narration. Although most of us knew the punchlines, even after all these years, they're still funny.
As well as telling the story in his own laconic style (along with occasional observations by Pearson) Garnett blew some fine tenor tailored to suit the occasion. On trumpet, 29-year-old Gavita captured the mood of those early years with shades of Jimmy Deuchar and the Hamer brothers.  James Pearson, the current house pianist at Ronnies, impressed, particularly with his Bill Evans-like version of My Foolish Heart. Sam Burgess also scored on bass whilst Higginbottom had the drummers in the audience going home and digging out the practice pad!
The set list centered around the music of various Scott bands - in particular the quintet - as well as numbers associated with some of the headliners who'd performed at the club over the years.
Some of my Best Friends Are Blues (Scott); Boogie Stomp Shuffle (Mingus); Night in Tunisia (Dizzy); A Pint of Bitter (Tubbs); My Foolish Heart (Bill Evans); Through the Night Roared the Overland Express (Couriers); Theme From Alfie (Rollins); Milestones (Miles); Drum feature (Buddy) Cute (Basie); Chelsea Bridge (Duke dedicated to Joe Temperley who'd died the previous day); Sack of Woe (Cannonball) and, finally, The Claw (Scott) which had the band blowing on stage whilst the Ronnie Scott Quintet were on screen playing on an old TV show 3-2-1. You remember Ted Rodgers and Dusty Bin?
There was more, much more happening video-wise but those were some of the highlights. Earlier I spoke to Garnett, Burgess and Higginbottom (pictured l-r) in The John Duck pub.
Catch them somewhere soon at a venue near you.
22nd May - Chelmsford, The Civic Theatre
24th June - Wimborne, Tivoli Theatre
6th – 10th July - Henley-on-Thames Henley Festival
17, 24 & 31 July - York, Great Yorkshire Fringe.
Lance.

1 comment :

Lance said...

As an afterthought, following on from the Simon Spillett/Tubby Hayes video/live session at GIJF, would not a Garnett/Spillett Jazz Couriers project be an idea worth pursuing?

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