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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

17904 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 225 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (March 24).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Thu 27: Hannabiell & Midnight Blue @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 27: Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb blues duo.

Fri 28: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00 SOLD OUT!.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm.
Fri 28: Sue Ferris Quintet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £10.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 28: Mostly Moonlight @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 28: Juliana Day & Manon McCoy @ Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00.; £10.00. advance. JNE.

Sat 29: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 29: Doris Day Story @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Sat 29: Squabble! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 30: Jan Spencelayh & Dave Archbold @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 30: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

APRIL 2025

Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Mark Robertson.
Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 02: Lauren Bush: The Jazz Singer’s Toolkit @ The Pele, Corbridge. 1:00-4:00pm. Vocalist Lauren Bush with pianist Jamil Sheriff presents a jazz singing workshop. £40.00. (inc. evening concert, see below). Registration required for workshop: www.laurenbushjazz.com. All ability levels welcome.
Wed 02: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 02: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 02: Lauren Bush & Jamil Sheriff @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00-9:00pm. £10.00. Concert performance. Tickets: www.laurenbushjazz.com.
Wed 02: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 02: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. POSSIBLE CANCELLATION. See website for updates: www.theglobenewcastle.bar.

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, September 19, 2016

Hailey Tuck w. Strictly Smokin' Big Band @ Hoochie Coochie - September 18


Hailey Tuck (vocal); Rick Simpson (piano); Chris Maddock (tenor) + Strictly Smokin' Big Band.*
(Review by Lance).
You wait for ages then two come along at once! No, I'm not talking about buses, I'm talking gigs.
I'd marked Friday's Nigel Price Trio session down as my gig of the year then, what happens?  SSBB roll up at Hootchie and, not only do they have Alice Grace as band singer but they also bring in Parisian based American singer Hailey Tuck!
Hailey, by the way, brought in Rick Simpson on keys and Chris Maddock on tenor who also did the majority of her vocal arrangements.
Alice opened the batting with Sway; Time After Time; Somebody Loves me (everybody does babe!); Alright OK You Win; You Make me Feel so Young. Alice looked good and sounded even better if that were possible!
Time to meet Ms. Tuck.
Fascinating Rhythm (complete with verse); Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea; Stardust with just (JUST!) the rhythm section; So in Love; Daydream; Let's Do It; Don't Think Twice and After You've Gone.
La Tuck transcends the eras, her rich well-rounded contralto au fait with any idiom
The comparison between the vocalists was interesting, and neither lost out. To simplify, Alice is post-bop and Hailey is pre-bop.  And yet, although Hailey acted, danced, dressed sang like a flapper, her material also encompassed Bob Dylan and the Jackson 5!
However, this wasn't a Savoy Ballroom cutting contest - just two superb singers doing their own thing which, occasionally, overlapped and made me think that maybe they could have done a girlie duet!
Hailey, after pausing to chat with the audience and have a couple of pics taken, returned for the third set and we had All the Things You Are; My Heart Belongs to Daddy; When It's Sleepytime Down South (with a rare solo by Rangecroft); No Moon at All (with Rick Simpson and Chris Maddock); All I Do is Think of You and Sunday Morning (a Tuck original). There was more but, not being in our usual comfort zone, making notes was difficult. This didn't detract from the music!
The band, as we've come to expect, were well up to the task and most of the usual suspects got in with solos.
Rick Simpson, originally from Guisborough, I'd last heard him accompanying Sarah Ellen Hughes (whatever became of?), and he proved to be equally adept with Hailey comping and soloing to great effect. Rick also chipped in with a couple of arrangements although the majority were by Maddock who also blew some good tenor
An Australian visitor remarked, "A superb big band and two great singers, I'd expect to pay £100 for this!" He's right but please don't tell Warren!
Photos. 
Lance.
* Strictly Smokin’ Big Band: MD Michael Lamb, Pete Tanton, Gordon Marshall, Dick Stacey (trumpets); Kieran Parnaby, Mark Ferris, Robert ‘Pez’ Perry, Mr John Flood (trombones); Laurie Rangecroft (baritone saxophone); Paul Gowland (tenor & soprano saxophones), Jamie Toms  (tenor saxophone), Steve Summers (alto & soprano saxophones, clarinet, flute), Keith Robinson (alto saxophone, flute, clarinet); Graham Don (piano), Pawel Jedrzejewski (guitar), Michael Whent (bass), Guy Swinton (drums); Alice Grace (vocals). 

3 comments :

Anonymous said...

A fabulous gig - one of the best so far! And a great introduction to Hailey for us ..... btw, the Sunday Morning song is by Maroon 5 - from their first album.

Lance said...

I stand corrected - it was rather noisy at times!

Anonymous said...

Yep - Hailey introduced the song by saying that one of the band's guitarists was dating her sister at the time - and she got to know them well! Think she added that Chris had re-arranged the number for her .....

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