Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (DownBeat May, 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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

From This Moment On

May

Fri 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Jazz Co-op @ The Globe: Not Now Charlie: Sept 15

Jamie Toms (tenor sax); Pawel Jedizejewskl (guitar); Richard Campbell (piano); Liam Gaughan (bass guitar); Dave McKeague (drums).
(Review by Ann Alex/photo from BSH archive).
I went to hear this band after liking their sound on a YouTube link on BSH and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. 
Their website, www.notnowcharlie.com  quotes influences from jazz, rock, pop etc: add to that what I detected, which was folk and classical, the latter mostly from the piano and the former from the second tune of the gig, with the delightful Di Dum sharp snapping sound beloved of bagpipers – I think it’s called a ‘Scotch Snap’.
The gig was to launch their CD Nostalgia Revisited so most of the tunes played were from the CD, all written by Jamie Toms and very ably arranged by the band. Titles were such as MCT; It’s Not Me, It’s You; Potters Wheel. There may have been a tune called Floating Hills and another titled Telling Tales, but I missed most of the titles as they were announced without a microphone in the large downstairs bar, so I couldn’t quite make speech out – my only complaint.
How to describe the music? Very tuneful and adventurous, some tunes reminded me of the extended complex almost-anthems of 1970’s prog rock. Other tunes were episodic to my ears, batches of music in the same item which changed rhythm and theme, yet still held together as one. A typical offering had a very tuneful sax lead to start, then the sax and guitars playing interweaving lines, with lightly brushed drums, then quite suddenly it all ends, just when you expect it to continue a little longer. It’s Not Me It’s You is an amusing title as it’s the opposite of what people are supposed to say when they are ending a relationship diplomatically, and the tune was quite quarrelsome, if a tune can convey such, beginning with general busyness from all the instruments, then a lone bass with rattles on the drums, louder drums, a drum solo over the bass, and big angry chords to finish. Plenty of room for improvisation in solo spots, although such solos were not so formally ‘placed’ as they would be during a swing number.
I don’t know if I’ve described the music as well as it deserves, so why not buy the CD and hear it all for yourself, a snip at only £8? I just wish they could have had a larger audience, which they certainly deserved.
Ann Alex
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