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

18336 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 190 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 28), 90

From This Moment On ...

March

Fri 06: EXHIBITION: Images of Jazz @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. Visual artist Dave Barden exhibiting works in Gallery Two (10:00am-4:00pm Mon to Sat, closing May 30).
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Market Place, Blyth NE24 1BQ. 5:00pm, 6:00pm & 7:30pm. Free. A ‘Festival of Energy’ event.
Fri 06: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 06: Brass Funkeys + support @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Fri 06: Vintage Explosion @ Whitley Bay Playhouse. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 06: Flat Moon + Spilt Milk @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.
Fri 06: Giles Strong Quartet @ Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:45pm (7:00pm doors). £16.50.
Fri 06: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. Musicians Unlimited (in concert). £10.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 1/3.

Sat 07: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 12 noon. Open Section (all day, closing concert performance at 7:00pm). £15.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 2/3.
Sat 07: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Antônio Carlos Jobim: Meditation & How Insensitive. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free. Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St Mary’s Parish Hall, Barnard Castle. 7:00pm. £20.00., £8.00 under 16. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 07: Taupe + Marigolds + Mother Man @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 9:30am. School Section & Youth Section (all day). £10.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 3/3.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: TRIO-SKW @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Josh Savage (drums); Lucas Kelly (organ); Tim ‘Bim’ Williams (guitar).
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Trish Clowes’ My Iris @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 08: Durham University Big Band & Foot Notes @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. £10.00., £8.00., £6.00. Big band & a cappella ensemble.

Mon 09: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. 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

Friday, September 23, 2016

Gerry Richardson's Big Idea @ Black Swan Arts Centre - A Dutch Treat!

(Review by Lance/Photos courtesy of Mike Tilley).
What's left to say about the Big Idea? We know the repertoire, we've heard it all before and yet...
...sometimes it's as if we're hearing it for the very first time! Years ago, the Ellington and Basie Bands created the same feeling and we never left those concerts disappointed and nor were we disappointed tonight.
Gerry, of course, is the key man, no pun intended, his arrangements, compositions and his smash and grab technique on the Hammond puts him right up there in the organ hierarchy. Perhaps he should change his name to Brother Gerry McRichardson!
He told me that the Big Idea's very first gig was at this same venue back in the late nineties and that several of the original musicians were in the band tonight - not David Gray though - he probably wasn't born then!
The solos were well spread out with Rod Sinclair to the fore adding his downtown Memphis cum Chicago licks as and when. The trumpets were shooting high - on a samba number I was reminded of Arturo Sandoval when Hignett hit lift off. Mark Webb too also soared. Gray didn't soar - he growled ferociously. This was Kid Ory meeting Roswell Rudd in a back alley!
Linsley floated on alto, Toms, playing hooky from a SSBB rehearsal to dep for Stuart Johnson, delivered the goods whilst Sue was simply brilliant on bari and fab on flute. She plays pretty good for a person!
On drums was Adam Sinclair - 'nuff said - they don't come any better. His solo on African Sunset a masterpiece of control, build-up and timing - what timing!
In case you are wondering about the Dutch Treat in the heading, a party from Holland were attending a conference nearby and were persuaded to go to the gig.
They seemed to enjoy it.
Maybe next stop  for Gerry and 'The Ideas' is the North Sea Jazz Festival - or indeed any festival - they'd blow it apart!
Photos.
Lance.
Gerry Richardson (Hammond/vcls); Rod Sinclair (gtr); Dave Hignett, Mark Webb (tpt/flug); David Gray (tmb); Garry Linsley (alt); Jamie Toms (ten); Sue Ferris (fl/ten/bar); Adam Sinclair (dms).
at

1 comment :

Hugh said...

Those who missed this will be able to catch the Big Idea (Oh, and Gerry Richardson) at Ushaw at 7pm on Friday 28th October - tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gerry-richardson-big-idea-tickets-27543544483

P.S. I've already got mine

Sunday, September 25, 2016 8:29:00 pm

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