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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, 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

17972 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 293 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (April 22).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

Sat 26: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Darlington. 12 noon. Free (donations).
Sat 26: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 26: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. Tickets: £12.00. + bf. Duo performance.
Sat 26: Neil Cowley Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.50.
Sat 26: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.

Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. 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

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Nigel Price Trio + Early Bird Band @ Jazz Café - September 16










Nigel Price (gtr); Ross Stanley (Hammond); Steve Brown (dms).
(Review by Lance/Photos courtesy of Mike Tilley)
Smokin' is the expression frequently used to describe organ based trios and, as such, it was no surprise that on a previous northeast gig (Ushaw College Jazz Festival) the fire alarm went off. Tonight wasn't a four-alarm alert but the atmosphere was certainly incendiary as the three guys lit the blue touch paper.
Over the years I've heard Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Jim Hall, Charlie Byrd, Tal Farlow, John McLaughlin, Martin Taylor, Alvin Lee and many other names - include Nigel Price on that Roll of Honour.
He was phenomenal! Irrespective of mood or tempo Price was in there exploring, creating, interpreting, an absolute delight.
Opening up with Wes Montgomery's Jingles, the groove was in. Loverman as a bossa led to Who Can I Turn to? A question I asked myself, sitting as I was between two delightful ladies. However, it was hypothetical as one left before me and the other left after me! Back to the music. The Anthony Newley song had a beautiful unaccompanied guitar intro before going into a nice easy swing. Angel Eyes practically brought tears to my eyes such was the execution of this saddest of songs.
The set ended with This Could be the Start of Something Big and it certainly was! 
So far I've only mentioned Price but the contribution of Ross Stanley on Hammond and Leslie was awesome. His approach, more subtle and restrained in comparision to some of the wilder double manual merchants who dance on the pedals and deliver forearm smashes to the keyboard, gelled perfectly with the guitar. Matt Home couldn't make this gig so who replaced him? Only Steve Brown! Him of the permanent smile and the prodigious technique - a British jazz legend.
Roll on Set Two!
Back in the 1930's Coleman Hawkins set down the benchmark for Body and Soul. Now, almost 80 years later the bar has been raised!
A long intro by Price took us on a fantastic journey - totally solo and without a safety net. This was a master painter - Django Rembrandt - at work. It couldn't get any better than this - or could it?
Yes!
Stanley and Brown slipped onto their respective bench and throne. We'd had the body now we got the soul as the tempo lifted. They soloed, they swung, they exchanged fours. Composer Johnny Green didn't turn over in his grave - I bet he got up and danced! 
There was more. Indian Summer, Wes' Four on Six (played as six on four!) Prelude to a Kiss (arguably Duke's most sensual ballad) and a rocking blues to finish that featured Steve Brown. Phew! There may have been an encore but I had a bus to catch - or did I float home on a cloud?
The evening began with the Early Bird Band, Paul Edis' young proteges who continue to develop. Indeed the rhythm section are pretty close to pro standard and didn't seem overawed by the headliners who were to follow. Without maestro Edis waving his imaginary baton the horns were a little hesitant at times but grew in confidence as the set unfolded. It may still be a work in progress but that progress is apparent upon every gig.
 James Metcalf, Ben Lawrence (tpts);  Andrew Hodges (tmb); Nick Caughey (ten); Philip Grobe (pno); Francis D. Tulip (gtr); Dan Lawrence (bs gtr); Matthew MacKellar (dms).
Lance.

1 comment :

Steven T said...

Pleased to see Francis acquitted himself well on his final North East gig as a North East resident. He has had consistency lapses in the past; he's never poor but he isn't always on fire. Last night he maybe wasn't on fire, but he was on form.
Dan and Whiplash don't have consistency issues and Dans' enthusiasm will be a miss.
Dr Phil proved an excellent foil for Francis, giving him all the space he needed and I'm always surprised by his solos. Between Lord Paul and the Dr, the next guitarist couldn't be in better hands. I can't wait for their next gig.
In defence of the horns, while all of the rhythm section are hoping for careers in music, some horns are, some aren't and some are undecided. OK I over-egged the sums. I thought James, one of the youngest in the band, was great doing the intros. People always think nervous makes poor but nervous makes human.
And what a power-house turn the Nigel Price Trio are. Best live band in the land? No. 1 son speculated.

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