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Bebop Spoken There

Van Morrison: ''Basically, I'm coming from jazz. Not pop, not rock, not what's commercial. That's where I started, and that's still where I am. I feel the same as I did when I was listening to Louis Armstrong, Lead Belly, Jelly Roll Morton''. (The Northern Echo, 12 June 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

18037 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 458 of them this year alone and, so far, 36 this month (June 11).

From This Moment On ...

JUNE 2025

Sat 14: Mr Wilson’s Second Liners @ Northumberland Miners’ Picnic, Woodhorn Museum, Ashington. 10:00am-5:00pm. Free. At intervals during the day.
Sat 14: Spanish City Rollers @ The Brae, Cullercoats. 11:00am & 1:00pm. Free. A Cullercoats Festival event.
Sat 14: Front Porch Three + Hoodoo Blues swing dance workshop @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 3:30pm. A Cullercoats Festival event.
Sat 14: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Tynedale Beer & Cider Festival, Tynedale Rugby Club, Corbridge. 4:15-5:30pm.
Sat 14: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 14: Mark Williams Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 14: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Sat 14: Eva Fox & Steve Chambers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 15: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Pasadena Roof Orchestra @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:00pm.
Sun 15: Under the Wellie @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 15: Hannah Brine Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 16: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club (1:00pm). Free.
Mon 16: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:30pm. Free. Concert performance (open to the public)..
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 19: Gareth John & the SOS Big Band @ The Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £25.00.

Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 20: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. £21.50. ‘Time After Time’..
Fri 20: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. .
Fri 20: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.

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 02, 2016

Square One @ Durham Ushaw Jazz Festival - August 28


Peter Johnstone (piano), Joe Williamson (guitar), David Bowden (bass guitar) & Stephen Henderson (drums)
(Review by Steve T/Photos courtesy of Gordon Carlton)
With FDT and the Lawrence brothers behind, and Ben now ‘out’ as an aspiring Jazz keyboardist, I imagined that, with Whiplash, this could be them in a few years.
Circumstances beyond their control meant they played the theatre rather than the lounge which the just over thirty would have comfortably filled. No matter, the theatre is such a splendid room it still looked okay and, if you choose Jazz as a profession, you have to get used to empty seats.
Five impressive originals: two from bassist David Bowden, and one each from guitarist Joe Williamson, keyboardist Peter Johnson and Drummer Stephen Henderson.
Immediate comparisons are the classic Jazz Rock bands and the more instrumental progressive rock bands but with far less bombast. Effective changes in tempo and juxtaposition between quieter moments and moments of real power, with some fantastic building to get from one to the other, and a couple of classical oriented interludes on piano reflecting the pianists own continuing musical education in classical piano.
The final piece was Puppet Love, which was more obviously rocky, with riffs and things before settling into a funk groove, Bowden on bass as successful as any of his contemporaries on the solid body guitar variety of his instrument more widely associated with funk.
They declined the invitation to play an encore, leaving us to buy their current EP (with an album forthcoming) to hear more from them and myself, Ben Lawrence and others duly did.
They’re all Glasgow alumni and are solid musicians with none obviously stronger or weaker than the rest. With two Scottish natives and a Londoner I spoke to Darlo lad Joe Williamson to alleviate any potential language barrier.
Unsurprisingly, his major guitar influences are Mike Walker (currently an Impossible Gentleman), John Schofield and Pat Metheny, in that order, as well as the blues. The centrality of melody comes in large part from folk music and particularly from drummer Henderson, with Steely Dan and Oz Noy their major influences in this regard.  
We wish this young band every success in the future and hope to see them back in the North East soon.
More housekeeping tasks to take care of so I only caught a few bursts of the New Century Ragtime Orchestra. Not really my thing but I spoke to loads of people afterwards who thought they were terrific, leader Steve Andrews even rivalling Alan Barnes in the joke stakes.
Steve T

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