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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

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

The Hughie Aitchison Story on Record. Tracks 2-7 + memories of Ray Jobling and Jimmy Miller

Stan Wilde (pno); Hughie Aitchison (tpt); Ronnie McLean (tmb); Brian Clark/ Alan Shipley (clt); Alan Brown (gtr); Joe Ward (dms).
A year to the day after the previous tracks on June 25, 1951, Stan's Wildecats were recorded at Northern Sound Studios - was that the one at the bottom of Worswick St,? Probably was as there weren't too many recording studios around in those days.
Washington & Lee Swing and Lonesome Road.. Brian Clark and Alan Shipley on clarinets. I didn't know Alan Shipley but Brian was one of those gentle gentlemen of music and the northeast jazz scene was horrified when he was mugged on his way home from a gig in, I think, the 1970's.
Were the muggers ever caught? I can't remember - I hope so.
The Bernicia Jazz Band went into the same studios on March 25, 1952.
Hughie Aitchison (tpt); Ronnie Allen (McLean under a pseudonym? tmb); Brian Clark (clt); Arthur Robson (pno); Alan Brown (gtr); Ray Jobling (bs); Ken Redman (dms).
This was a stormer - the Spanier Ragtimers ride again! Hughie, by this time, was Muggsy and Muskrat Ramble, Apex Blues, Bluin' the Blues and Trouble in Mind had never sounded so good on this side of the Atlantic - or at least on this side of the Tyne!
Trouble in Mind had a vocal by Ray Jobling - Jobber! I had the privilege to work with Ray many years later. He was a fine southpaw bass player, a founder member of the Panama Jazzmen and no mug with a shotgun either!
Ray fell in love with Elsie whose ex was a local gangland figure. The hoodlum proceeded to make the couple's life hell until Ray said, 'Enough is a enough" and fired both barrels - it didn't just happen in Chicago! However, it was, eventually, all done and dusted, Ray served his time  and returned to the scene playing with a variety of bands including the Jimmy Miller Trio at the Blaydon Races pub out in Ryton. You think we've got piano players now? Check out Jimmy Miller if you can. He died before facebook and youtube were invented so maybe he's left no recorded legacy. However, I'm sure that someone's got a tape in the attic. Ray. Jimmy, (was it Jacky Denton on drums?) and Dave Hedley singing Tangerine are one of the memories that will live with me forever (not to mention the Chicken in the Basket! - Good job I didn't order the soup!)
Lance

1 comment :

Steve Andrews said...

Doesn't Hughie sound like King Oliver in his muted solo on Lonesome Road? Compare with Oliver's muted solo on "Sweet Like This" (1930).

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