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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 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

18069 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 390 of them this year alone and, so far, 68 this month (May 222).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:15pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bywell Hall, Stocksfield. 1:30pm. Northumberland County Show.
Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm.
Sat 24: Dean Stockdale Quartet + Mingus Sings @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Stockdale (piano); Tim Williams (guitar); Gavin Barras (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums) + Mingus Sings: Sara Oschlag (vocals); Alan Barnes (reeds); Tim Lapthorn (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); Clark Tracey (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sat 24: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 24: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sat 24: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 24: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 25: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Spanish City Plaza (outdoor stage). 11:30am & 1:00pm. Free. A Whitley Bay Carnival event.
Sun 25: Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion: Bandstand Sessions @ The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free. A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 1:30pm. Free.
Sun 25: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Catriona Bourne Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Bourne (harp), Francis Tulip (guitar), James Owston (double bass), Joe Bainbridge (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Struggle Buggy @ The Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 25: Joe Steels Group + Norma Winstone (vocals); Nikki Iles (piano); Mike Walker (guitar); Steve Watts (double bass). 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Steels (guitar); Ferg Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Susans (double bass); John Hirst (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 25: Xhosa Cole/Neil Charles/Mark Sanders @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A JNE promotion. Note: Xhosa Cole replaces Nicole Mitchell.

Mon 26: Catriona Bourne Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 26: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 27: Bold Big Band @ Newcastle Arts Centre, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £12.00. & £10.00.
Tue 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Front St., Rothbury NE65 7UT.7:30pm. £12.00.; £10.00. adv. from Tully’s (opp. venue).

Wed 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 28: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 28: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 29: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: That’s the Blues, Dad.
Thu 29: Nova.sol + Mikoudi @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 29: Front Porch Three @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Americana, blues etc.

p>Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 30: Rivkala @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 30: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Middleton & Tonbridge Village Hall. 7:30pm.

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

Monday, June 13, 2016

Ruth Lambert Trio/Sue Ferris Quartet @ Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. June 12.

Ruth Lambert Trio: Ruth Lambert (vcl); Mick Shoulder (bs); Giles Strong (gtr).
Sue Ferris Quartet: Sue Ferris (ten/fl); Paul Edis (pno); Tony Abell (bs); Rob Walker (dms).
(Review by Lance/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).
Part of Jazz North-East's admirable Women Make Music series although, in actual fact, only two of the seven musicians involved were of the 'fairer sex'. However, as Lambert and Ferris were the leaders of their respective bands, the WMM  nomenclature was fully justified and, after you'd heard them sing/play, gender went out of the window!
The Ruth Lambert Trio played the first set. A well-balanced mix of original compositions by all three, some Cole Porter and a more contemporary number - Oscar Brown, Jr.'s The Snake.
The audience may have been thin on the ground, although you wouldn't have known it by the volume of applause at the end of each number. Such was the gossamer-like nature of the music that applause after solos would, on this occasion, have destroyed the ambience irrespective of how deserving.
Strong alternated between classical guitar and an Ibanez Jazz as and when the number demanded it. He soloed and comped well on  both. He also composed one of the songs - Everything Was Beautiful. Shoulder was, as ever, melodic and swinging. He too provided some material. The opener, How Can I? and a collaboration with Ms Lambert, Lullaby. Ruth herself wrote A Love That Never Dies and also put her stamp on You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To;Love for Sale and Devil May Care.
Encased in a sheath that wouldn't have been out of place on the aforementioned snake, the lady herself was, as ever, in good voice bringing her own take to each number. Subtle nuances, a slight variation in the meter, a change of direction, all combining for a class performance.
A short interval before the second band took to the stage led by Sue Ferris.
Sue, who'd earlier in the evening guested with the trio on You'd Be So Nice etc.,blows tenor, not like a woman, more like a jazz musician of any gender. Hard-blowing, straight down the middle, saxophone playing of the first order. Just Squeeze Me; Jerry Bergonzi's Red's Blues; Bill Evan's Peris Scope; I Thought About You; Paul Edis' cleverly titled McCoyn a Phrase (ref McCoy Tyner) all blown on tenor with a really wailing chorus on the latter number.
A switch to flute for a piece by the Durham-based, vastly underrated, composer Will Todd and another clever title - I Thought About Who? More flute on All or Nothing at All. A samba beat and some superb hand-drumming from Walker took us down to Rio and not a sign of any Zika symptoms!
Back to tenor and the last number - Clifford Brown's Sandu.
The solos on this set were acknowledged - choruses for courses!
Special mention of Tony Abell who stepped in at short notice for Neil Harland - he cut the mustard. Paul Edis was, simply, Paul Edis, and I can praise him unequivocally as I'm not his dad!
And Rob Walker also played great - for a man!
The prompt finish meant I had no problems catching the number 27 as it stops close by!
Lance.

1 comment :

Steven T. said...

Number one son always suggests that, when the Early Birds support one of Pauls' groups, I arrange with his dad that he does EBs and I do Paul.
This is why I always big-up Paul (and not cos he's brilliant), hoping his dad will reciprocate re Francis.

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