Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

From This Moment On

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Sunday, November 06, 2016

Big Muddy @ The Globe Jazz Bar on Bonfire Night

(Review by Ann Alex/photo from archives)
We didn’t need fireworks at the Globe as we had our own in musical form. The horns struck up for a prompt start, soon followed by the whole band doing a couple of tunes that I should have known the names of, good and lively anyway. Jude came on with a rollicking version of Black Velvet, a recent song which sounded so good that it could have been written ages ago, as she explained. And Jude was on top form, spirited, raunchy singing, looking so cool in long black boots and black peaked cap, black and white short skirt and top. (The men were mostly clad in black tops and jeans, I never just describe women’s attire, that’s against Feminist rules).

Brubeck’s Broadway Bossa, not often played, had the brass in harmony and Dave on shaker;  then Dave sang Don’t Get Around Much anymore, a slow, bluesy, speakeasy version led by muted cornet  and Dave asking people to join in, as if it was a folk club, said Jude. No-one did. Jude then told us that I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate, which apparently is not just about a dance, then Gordon played clarinet on a Dixieland number. Fine Brown Frame, sang Jude, and she didn’t mean a picture frame, quite a night for double meanings as she pointed out. This included a distinctive muted trombone solo. To round off the first set, we were treated to a Blues Brothers tune and Dave enthusiastically telling us about Mustang Sally.
A short flute intro heralded the second set which included Come Home Baby; Stolen Moments, with a very smooth trombone and Dave on vocals; Herbie Hancock’s Canteloupe Island with Gordon beating it out on claves. A sad, Got To Get Better, sang with feeling by Jude; Horace Silver’s Song For My Father, actually written for his father; Dave singing a spirited Georgia on my Mind (Hoagy Carmichael); then Gordon struck up on the vocal of Big Noise (From Winetka?), with jungle-like drums and – at last - a skilled bass guitar solo. A great evening’s performance was rounded off with Dave singing Silver’s The Preacher, which is, as we all know, based on the chords of Show Me the Way to Go Home. So home I went, well content after a great night of music.

Ann Alex     
Jude Murphy (vocals, bass guitar, flute); Dave Weisser  (vocals, cornet, shaker); Gordon Brown (alto sax, clarinet, claves); John Haylock (baritone sax); Nigel Robson (piano, trombone); Lionel Hehir (guitar); Stu Holiday (drums).

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