Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 2026)

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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

From This Moment On

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Wednesday, June 08, 2016

Jazz Café Jam Session - June 7


Pete Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Matthew MacKellar (dms) + Michael Lamb (tpt); Tom Atkinson (dms); Paul Gowland (alt); Minnie Fraser (vcl); David Gray (tmb); Kath Jobes (vcl).
(Review by Lance).
From occasional sitter-in to  fully fledged house drummer (at least for tonight) MacKellar, or is it Mackellar?, proved a more than capable dep for the absent Russ Morgan. The young man easily slotted in with Gilligan and Grainger on the opening I Thought About You. Nor did the switch to 3/4 time for Hamp Hawes' Sonora phase him. His Early Bird training no doubt contributed as I'm sure did the inspiration derived from playing with the two PGs - a third one would soon arrive.
Oh Lady be Good is vintage Gilligan whilst I Fall in Love Too Easily suggests that romance is far from dead!
The room begins to fill and the first of the guests takes to the stand. Michael Lamb, taking time off from leading the SSBB, blows a fiery How High the Moon before tugging at the heartstrings on Angel Eyes.
Here endeth the first set.
Unsquare Dance, a different drummer, and the third PG assembles alto sax and moistens reed as Gilligan goes into Brubeckian mode.
This drummer knows the number catching the 7/4 meter and the transformation to swing and back seamlessly. I speak to him afterwards and he tells me he's actually a guitarist!
Young Matthew returns for a swinging Tangerine, a Birdlike Embraceable You and a Cherokee to end all Cherokees with all four turning the Ray Noble classic inside out.










Ray Noble stays on the menu for The Very Thought of You ably sung by Minnie Fraser. David Gray blows trombone in his inimitable manner. Minnie sings Lullaby of Birdland, Gray and Gowland remain on board.
More words, this time, it's Kath Jobes giving out with There Will Never be Another You and Bye Bye Blackbird. I too say 'bye bye'. The Central Station still being closed, I limp across town to catch the 27 at the High Level Bridge.
Guess what? They've only gone and closed the bridge for 'inspection and maintenance' from 10pm-6am and the buses have been diverted! So, rather than wait 7 hours, once again it's a phone call to Budget Taxis...
Photos.
Lance.
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