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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17755 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 76 of them this year alone and, so far, 1 this month (Feb.1).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Tue 04: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.
Tue 04: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Phillips, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.
Tue 04: Dilutey Juice + Life Aquatics Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Wed 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 05: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 05: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 06: Lewis Watson Quartet @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 06: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Latin jazz/top-rated dance bands.
Thu 06: Rose Room @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 06: Mostly Moonlight @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Helen Barber (vocals) & Alex Moon (piano).
Thu 06: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. Guests: Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Donna Hewitt (alto sax); Kevin Eland (trumpet); Graham Thompson (keys); Ron Smith (bass). 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. The session is now monthly, first Thursday in the month.

Fri 07: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 07: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 07: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Old Lowlight, Clifford’s Fort, North Shields NE30 1JE. 7:00pm. £15.00. + bf. www.oldlowlight.co.uk. SOLD OUT!
Fri 07: Stuart Turner Trio @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Jazz, blues, Americana etc.
Fri 07: Dean Stockdale Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 07: Rose Room @ Wylam Institute. 8:00pm. £19.67.
Fri 07: John Rowland Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 08: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 08: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 08: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 08: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 08: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. ‘Swing Jazz Guitar’.
Sat 08: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra event. All welcome.

Sun 09: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ The Forum, Billingham. 3:00pm.
Sun 09: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Tom Remon & Mark Williams @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 09: Rod Oughton’s Tomorrow’s New Quartet with Ben van Helder @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Deschanel Gordon.
Sun 09: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. 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

Sunday, June 05, 2016

The Safe Sextet (-1) @ The Jazz Co-op. June 4

Don Forbes (trumpet), John Rowland (tenor saxophone), Peter Gilligan (piano), Barry Ascroft (bass) & Russ Morgan (drums)
(Review by Russell/photo courtesy of Minnie Fraser)
The Safe Quintet. It doesn’t have the same ring to it. Four of the Safe Sextet’s regulars –  Gowland, Grainger, Law and Wight – were otherwise engaged…better offers (aka filthy lucre) and a European jazz jolly. One or two deps were drafted in…old  stager Mr Barry Ascroft (the archetypal ‘You hum it, I’ll play it’ piano player) working as a depping bass player on this gig, Safe Sextet alumnus Peter Gilligan (piano), and a half-decent depping drummer, Mr Russ Morgan.
The Globe – Jazz Co-op HQ – was open for business. The downstairs bar resembled Key Largo, not in terms of hoodlums (Edward G & co), nor the reluctant hero (Bogie), rather the numbers…an under-employed bartender and a couple of barflies. The upstairs room, the jazz room, awaited an audience. The Wylam Brewery was the hand-pull. So, Wylam Gold Tankard it was – at a sensible £3.50. a pint.
The Safe Sextet’s soundcheck received a modicum of applause. The audience arrived in ones and twos, Don Forbes & co were ready to go but not before a classic one-liner. The monitor positioned front left of Russ Morgan wasn’t playing ball. Our depping drummer couldn’t hear the piano and, as sound engineer Minnie Fraser tweaked matters technical,   Morgan quipped: Don’t worry, I don’t really want to hear him [Peter Gilligan] anyway!
Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise opened with bandleader Don Forbes going for it. Nardis, then Hocus Pocus featured old school tenor man John Rowland, Buddy Tate-style. Hang on a minute…this wasn’t Emcee 5 material, nor Stan Tracey. Matter not, the tunes were fine and the line-up dandy. The all-seated quintet played for an hour and more before the boss – trumpeter Forbes – suggested a short intermission.
A slightly longer than shorter intermission, a winning raffle ticket (!) and we were ready to go again. A good humoured bunch, the band winged it at times…grab a solo, debate a final chord, it came together well. One time Safe Sextet pianist Barry Ascroft did the job as Baz does – without any fuss, Peter Gilligan sounded great on the house upright and as drummers go, ‘first call’ can be applied to Russ Morgan. A brace of Forbes’ tunes stood comparison; Blues for the Boys, written with ‘the old place’ (25 Pink Lane) in mind  and all who played there, then Rico. Forbes couldn’t remember who Rico was, it didn’t make any difference to Morgan – what a solo! It had been a canny night. The Safe Sextet (-1) went out on Come Rain or Come Shine with a fleeting reference to Singing in the Rain in the final couple of bars.
Another fine trumpet player will be at the Jazz Co-op on Railway Street on Thursday 9th June. Ex-pat American Pete Tanton will be jetting in with his Riviera Quartet. The mode of transport could be pertinent: 'Twas on the 9th of June, 1862, on a summer’s afternoon. Roads in Newcastle city centre will be closed to traffic from 6:30pm to accommodate the several thousands of runners taking part in the Blaydon Road Race beginning at 7:15pm. The elite, the club runner and the straggler will be streaming past the Globe’s front door for the best part of an hour, so if you’re Gannin’ alang Scotswood Road be prepared for a short/long delay.  
Russell.                

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