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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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: 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

Monday, August 08, 2016

Jazz Co-op Summer Weekend Workshop @ The Globe: August 6/7

(Review by Ann Alex)
This is just a brief report as I was too busy enjoying myself and managing to learn more about jazz, to make many notes for BSH.  Our competent and very encouraging tutors were James Birkett and Paul Edis, and I suppose there were about 18 of us. The Saturday and Sunday morning sessions were for us to learn some basics, and we had to decide for ourselves whether we were ‘Introductory’ or ‘Advanced’, so I was introductory on Saturday and I tried advanced on Sunday, so something must have sunk in, perhaps overnight. Paul started with clapping exercises for rhythm, then rhythms with singing, then instruments, then using chords. We did this all without sheet music, which is an excellent idea, more often used by folk music tutors.
So far, so good. 
In the afternoons we were divided into two well-balanced bands.  Our band worked on 2 songs, Perdita and Little Sunflower, which the instrumentalists seemed to manage well: I became rather tangled up in the rhythms, so found myself at home, late last night, listening to the songs on YouTube, self- imposed homework.
At 9.45am on Sunday I was amazed at how bright-eyed and nimble fingered some of the instrumentalists sounded, so keen to get going. We all soon warmed up with more complicated clapping and vocal exercises, and discussions about chords and modes, and many other aspects of jazz. But it was the afternoon which brought the biggest surprise.  We swopped tutors for the band exercise and Jim announced that we were going to compose a song from scratch, complete with chords and lyrics. And both bands did it!
Our band started by deciding on the structure and feel, then the chords were arranged.  I wisely kept quiet about chords and stuck to writing lyrics.  A tune sort of rose up out of the chords and came to me. And there you are, we had a bossa nova song called I Hope You’ll Stay, which was performed for the other band to hear, complete with solos, and yes, they did stay!
Paul’s band was much larger, big band size in fact, and they had composed a superb blues number, played with smart big band precision from all contributors. Their talented vocalist was Sheila Herrick who said it was the first time she’d ever written lyrics. Not her last song I hope.
Another great educational event from the Jazz Co-op, so thanks to them and especially to Dave Parker who worked hard on the weekend.  Why not try the monthly Co-op workshops at the Sage, 1st Saturday of the month?
Ann Alex   

1 comment :

Patrick said...

It was a great session, and I thought your lyrics were amazing Ann, considering how little time you had to work on them!

Patrick

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