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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17655 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 929 of them this year alone and, so far, 74 this month (Dec. 31).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 05: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Americana, jazz & blues.
Sun 05: Papa G’s Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Mon 06: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:00pm. Free.

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 09: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: John H Hammond.
Thu 09: FILM: Soundtrack to a Coup D’Etat @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 2:35pm. Documentary (dir. Johan Grimonprez) ‘about jazz, (de)colonial history and activism featuring Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie’.
Thu 09: Happy Tuesdays @ Ye Olde Cross, Ryton. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 09: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 09: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. The session now monthly, next one Thursday 2nd Feb, then first Thursday in the month thereafter.

Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free.

Sat 11: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 11: Under the Wellie @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Jazz Café Jam Session - October 18.

(Review by Lance).
A cracking session and what did I do? I misplaced my notes! Apologies for missing names and numbers.
So I'm winging it! The house trio set the standard with Whisper Not and Amando's Rumba. They were on form. All three were on fire. 
A quartet of students from Sage Gateshead's BMus degree course took centre stage. Seemingly lead by guitarist Brent March they played acceptable versions of Sunny and All of Me. A work in progress. Brent told me this was, in fact, the first time they'd played together so the future looks promising. Fine musicians not heard to their best advantage. Do they have any original material? You betcha they will have! Watch this space. 
Time for the big hitters.
Don Forbes on trumpet, Nick Gould on tenor, his fellow Scot, David Midas on guitar, Matt Mackellar (now an old man of 18) on drums and John Pope on bass. Softly as in a Morning Sunset and Lester Left Town - nobody left town whilst this was going on
Like Rick's Café Americain in the film Casablanca, Newcastle's Jazz Café has, for time immemorial, rarely been without an international presence and this night was no exception. As well as the aforementioned Scotsmen, we had trombonist Fabio Sousa sliding his way around Blue Monk and a fellow Portuguese, a singer whose name got lost with my notes (the English translation sounded something like Edie Gonsales but I now know is called .InêsGonçalves.Fly me to the Moon (in English) and The Girl From Ipanema (in Portuguese) made Inês a hard act to follow. However, Germany was up for it. They may have beaten Portugal 4-0 in the 2014 World Cup and Frau Heller's Lullaby of Birdland suggested that the Fatherland were in for a repeat. Nevertheless, despite her Angel Eyes, the BSH pundits declared it a 1-1 draw.
Another singer, who reminded me of Kath Lowdon with short hair, sang Sentimental Journey and Someone to Watch Over me before Forbes and Gould lit the blue touchpaper for the grand finale.
Lance
Pete Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Russ Morgan (dms) + Nick Gould (ten); David Midas (gtr); John Pope (bs) Matt Mackellar (dms); Gabby Heller (vcl); Fabio Sousa (tmb); Don Forbes (tpt); Brent March (gtr); Sage students (keys/bs gtr/dms); InêsGonçalves (vcl)

1 comment :

Nick Gould said...

A good wee sesh. Nice to see everyone!

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