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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

17945 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 266 of them this year alone and, so far, 22 this month (April 8).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Zoë Gilby Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

Thu 17: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Only Six Standards.
Thu 17: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 18: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.

Fri 18: Alexia Gardner @ Fika Gallery, Oldgate, Morpeth NE61 1LT. 7:00pm. Trio (Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy).RESCHEDULED FOR JUNE 13

Fri 18: Sarah Jane Morris & Tony Remy: The Sisterhood @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £25.00.

Sat 19: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-3:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 19: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 20: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 20: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 20: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

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, October 08, 2016

CD Review: Rebecca Dumaine - Happy Madness

Rebecca Dumaine (vcl); Dave Miller (pno); Perry Thoorsell (bs); Bill Belasco (dms) + Brad Beuthe (gtr); Pete Cornell (ten).
(Review by Lance).
I gave it a glance, shrugged my shoulders and thought, "one for Debra or Ann". Then I gave it a second glance - second glances are fatal!
Track number 11 - Destination Moon!*
Dumaine is on her fourth album here and I'm already wishing I had the other three and that's just after hearing her take on Joe Bushkin's Nobody Else But Me.  If Bushkin hadn't spent as much time hanging out with Spanier, Condon and those guys he'd have been in the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
Dumaine does the song justice. I fall in love too easily (not a song on the CD) but from Doris Day via Ella to the late Amy a songbird does it for me. 
I know that, in the past, I've suggested that jazz singers are rolling off a conveyor belt like a plague of locusts. Dumaine ain't no locust! A swinger, an interpreter of lyric, an improviser, a woman capable of getting to the core of the song and doing it delightfully. This one excites me!
Of course, without the superb Dave Miller Trio goosing her along the ten-star review would drop down to 5! Beuthe (his Blues in the Closet intro to It's All Right With Me launches Dumaine into orbit) and Cornell chips in to keep it flying. Car stereo tomorrow - must go for a long drive!
Tracks: Nobody Else But Me; Samba Saravah; Like Someone in Love; Take a Chance; So Nice; It's All Right With Me; I'm Old Fashioned; This Happy Madness; Here, There, and Everywhere; The More I See You; Destination Moon; Haven't We Met?; Spider Man. 
Lance.
*Some 40 years back, Dave Bell had a jazz program on Radio Newcastle which culminated with an 'Identify the band, soloist, singer etc.' competition.The winner received, I think, a record token. As, at the time, I was working in the jazz record dept. of a local music shop it wasn't too difficult for me to make an educated guess at the answer. In fact,  I won so many times (the late Ron Pollard was my closest rival) that eventually I was invited to appear on the show and talk about my favourite records. I can't remember all of the ones I chose although I think Wardell Gray would have been among them. What I do remember is that my choice of Destination Moon by Dinah Washington resulted in just about everyone who'd listened to the show coming into the shop wanting to buy the album. Poor Wardell didn't get a look in!

2 comments :

Liz said...

yes, a great number Lance, new to me, thanks for pointing it out.

Lance said...

Composed by Marvin Fisher who also wrote When Sunny Gets Blue. His father, Fred Fisher wrote Chicago, his sister Doris wrote You Always Hurt the One You Love and his brother Dan had a hand in Good Morning Heartache - quite a family!

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