Bebop Spoken There

Dominick "Domo" Branch: ''Most people say drummers can't write, they're just time-keepers only beating on things. But I have a very musical brain.'' (DownBeat February, 2026)

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

18288 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 142 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 14), 42

From This Moment On ...

February

Thu 19: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: George Shearing Jazz Moments.

Fri 20: Alex Clarke w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Clarke w. Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.
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: Squabble @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:00pm. Steve Chambers (organ); Jude Murphy (double bass, vocals); Sid White (drums).
Fri 20: Jive Aces @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors).
Fri 20: Alex Clarke w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Clarke w. Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.

Sat 21: ???

Sun 22: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 22: Joe Steels Group @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. A Blue Patch album tour.
Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Harben Kay Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 23: Joe Steels Group @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. A Blue Patch album tour.
Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 24: Finn-Keeble Group @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00.
Tue 24: Liam Oliver & Shayo Oshodi @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 26: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £6.50.
Thu 26: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00 adv.
Thu 26: Mick Cantwell Band @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Blues.

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

Preview: The Bad Plus + Binker and Moses @ Sage Gateshead - November 8

(Preview by Steve T)
This one really is a big deal, like the Cookers and Robert Glasper the following week. All three acts are playing the Epic ten day London Jazz Festival but in Gateshead they're all playing the same room while in London they won't even be on the same Underground Line. So, a bit of a Jazz Fest in November and if  Sage Gateshead can attract three acts of this calibre in April we'll be guaranteed another quality festival.
They hail from Minnesota USA and are David King (drums), Reid Anderson (bass) and Ethan Iverson (piano) but, as with their British counterparts GoGo Penguin, they're not a traditional piano trio with all three contributing equally to their original, distinctive sound. More Cream than Hendrix.
They incorporate rock and dance elements into their Jazz and have used their interpretations to enhance a huge variety of cover versions including Abba, Apex Twin, the Beegees, Black Sabbath, Blondie, Johnny Cash, Peter Gabriel, Cindy Lauper, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Stravinsky, Wilco and Yes.
Anybody who likes Jazz, improvisation, GoGo Penguin, rock, dance or any of the above should secure their tickets while they're still around and be prepared to hear things played in a way they've never heard before.    
As if this isn't enough, support comes from Binker and Moses, two of the most exciting young Jazz musicians on the thriving London Jazz scene, named as MOBOs' best Jazz act of the year in 2015 and Jazz FMs' UK breakthrough act of 2016
The saxophone/drums format has a rich heritage in Jazz including Sonny Rollins, Charles Lloyd, Joe Lovano and, perhaps most famously, John Coltrane's' Interstellar Space with Rashid Ali. 
Steve T.

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