Total Pageviews

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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.CANCELLED!
Thu 10: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. A Globe fundraiser (all proceeds to the venue).
Thu 10: Exhaust: Camila Nebbia/Kit Downes/Andrew Lisle @ Jesmond URC, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. JNE.
Thu 10: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Feat. guests Ray Dales & Jackie Summers.

Fri 11: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: John Rowland Trio: The Music of Ben Webster @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Rowland (tenor sax); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Fri 11: Imelda May @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 11: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ Cullercoats Watch House. 7:30-9:00pm. Free (donations).

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, October 07, 2016

Interview with Ellery Eskelin

Russell interviewed saxophonist Ellery Eskelin ahead of the New Yorker's UK\tour and the Jazz North East/Jazz Coop gig at The Globe, Newcastle on October 14. 
Hi Ellery
You were raised in the Baltimore area and fortunate in being able to work with the likes of Gary Bartz, Bob Berg and Tom Harrell. It would appear that Baltimore had a healthy and vibrant jazz scene at the time?
Hello Russell,
Yes, I was raised in Baltimore but for the record, I did not work with the musicians you’ve mentioned.  They performed in Baltimore and occasionally I would have the opportunity to sit in with such recognized folks.  I feel that Baltimore had a wonderful tradition but I don’t know that the jazz scene was as vibrant when I was coming up in the ‘70s as compared to the ‘40s and ‘50s.  My feeling is that things changed dramatically in the 1960’s not only in Baltimore but all over.  Popular tastes changed, television became a dominant force and youth culture became more emphasized. 
And what is the city like these days?
I’m not sure I can give an accurate assessment, as I have not lived there in over thirty years.  But I do get back from time to time for performances and teaching seminars and my sense is that there are some very dedicated folks who are taking this seriously, creating and maintaining a scene. 

Gene Ammons was an early influence. Who put you onto him?
My stepfather bought me my first Gene Ammons record when I was about 14 years old.  I think he had heard Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt play live a number of times.  I later heard Sonny Stitt play live but regrettably never Gene Ammons.

In the 1980s you relocated to New York. Did you go there with a definite plan or did you play it by ear, as it were?
Well, my plan was to stay although I didn’t really know exactly how that would work.  I had enough money saved from being on the road (with trombonist Buddy Morrow) that I knew I could last a year even if I had no work.  But fortunately I was able to gain enough traction and so here we are.

Looking at your resumé, drummers figure prominently in much of your work - Jim Black from way back, Han Bennink, Gerald Cleaver, Gerry Hemingway, Bobby Previte. All of these guys have played gigs in the north east of England, so we know how good they are. One senses that they’re important to you, is that right?
Sure thing.  Rhythm is the basis of this music.

Trio New York explores the Great American Songbook. In a recent interview with online journal Point of Departure you said swing is ‘not a historical practice to be left behind’. A further revelation ‘amplified sound is often ruinous to the music’ suggests you have a real affinity with the so-called ‘tradition’ yet you are working in a contemporary creative field of music making. Do your peers share your thinking on these matters?
I’m not so sure.  I don’t know that folks necessarily disagree with me on this but I do know that the general orientation of the music has changed rather strongly over time.  This is, of course, natural.  But as I am now 57 years old I’m recognizing that it’s important that I share my experience and values.  If things are taken too much for granted we lose important aspects of our culture.

You are a regular visitor to Europe. Have you ever considered an extended stay?
That’s crossed my mind but as I have a family here in NYC I’m not inclined to make such a major change.  Also, as challenging as NYC can be I do feel very strongly that the great variety of people and approaches to music available greatly fuels my creativity.

Your British tour, organised by Kim Macari’s Orpheus project, will see you working with guitarist Chris Sharkey and pianist Matt Bourne. One assumes you know little about them and their approach to improvisation. Will you have some time to get to know the guys, or will you simply hit the road and see what happens?
We will take some time before the first concert to get familiar with each other and try some things.  But I think we all share the attitude that the music will reveal itself in the performances.

The final date on your tour - Newcastle, October 14 - is familiar territory for this blog and Chris Sharkey. Chris hails from Gateshead just across the river. You’re sure to be given a tour of the hot spots! Enjoy your visit, we look forward to hearing you at the Globe on October 14. Thanks for taking time out to speak to Bebop Spoken Here.     

Thank You Russell, I’m looking very much forward.
Ellery Eskelin Trio: The Globe, 11 Railway St., Newcastle NE4 7AD. 8pm £10/£8 concessions. JNE/Jazz Coop.

No comments :

Blog Archive