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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.

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: ???

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.

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, June 21, 2016

CD Review: James Morton - The Kid

James Morton (alt); + Fred Wesley (tmb); Pee Wee Ellis (ten); Andy Shepherd (sax); the Easy Access Horns; Alex Johansen (vcl) Simon Picton (gtr) & Others.
(Review by Steve T).
British saxophonist James Morton was influenced by James Brown, Hip Hop and Jazz it says here; but all you really need to know is he was bitten by the Godfather. At a time when most of his peers in the British funk field were bitten by people who were bitten by James, or by people who were bitten by people who were bitten by Brown, it's quite refreshing to go back to the source.

To say he wears this influence on his sleeve is something of an understatement, but he's backed it up by enlisting heavyweight assistance from alumni of his idol. Saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis was an important component  of the James Brown sound at its most vital time and did some gigging and tutoring in our region a few years ago, including guesting with another JB legend - Maceo Parker - at the Gala in Durham.
Trombonist Fred Wesley took over leadership of the JBs when George Clinton stole Bootsy and co. for his own fledgling funk empire and Fred and Maceo would soon follow. The last time I went to Hoochie Coochie was to see Fred and the new JBs when it was full of funkateers, trombone players and presumably Lance, who likes a bit of hoochie in his coochie. Some of the former moaned that it got too Jazzy in the middle but all of these musicians aspire to play Jazz. Fred was thrilled when he was able to record 'to someone' with 'proper Jazz musicians' but humbled that he may not be good enough. I love trombones and I love Fred Wesley.
As if Morton didn't have enough strength in the horns department, there's his mentor Andy Sheppard for good measure, as forceful and instantly recognisable as ever.
Just in case anybody didn't spot the JB connection, track two Stand Up sounds suspiciously close to James' own I got the feeling, so much so that I had to check whether it was a cover. At times later in JBs' life, his fortunes became perilous and he was strapped for cash, but I'm sure he wouldn't have succumbed to the unfortunate current trend of suing for writer credits going on in the media and law courts at the moment, not least because the song was never the thing for him. Imagine the chaos if the estates of great folk, Jazz, Blues, Soul and Reggae artists started suing each other. I believe Uptown Funk currently has about eleven writer credits (and rising) and Brown should certainly be one of them.   
Following that, Eyelets sounds like a James Brown reworking of Curtis Mayfield's Impressions anthem People get Ready and the next track introduces his very own Lynn Collins, a singer who made her name as part of the JB empire. And so it goes on but not always so blatantly. There's also some fancy, funky guitar work from Simon Picton which pricked up a pair of ears in the back of the car. 
In his heyday JB brought out records almost every week and the saturation of availability due to arch-baddies Amazon, CDs and downloads means you can access it all. But beware, it wasn't all great.
This may all sound critical but it's a fine album and if you don't already have enough James Brown type stuff - and you can't have too much James - this would be a good place to start, or should I say continue?
Steve T.
Release Date July 8 on Matusik Records.

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