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Bebop Spoken There

Francis Tulip: ''Music speaks louder than words''. (Jazzwise, June 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

17,550 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 514 of them this year alone and, so far, 92 this month (June 28).

From This Moment On ...

JULY 2025

Thu 10: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Soloists, Orchestras & Hot Fives.
Thu 10: Side Café Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 11: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church, Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00. A Bishop Auckland Jazz promotion. New venue (second Friday in the month)!
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: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Beehive, Earsdon NE25 0SZ. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Fiona Finden Jazz Express @ Flash House Brewery, North Shields NE30 1DS. 8:00pm. Free.

Sat 12: Jazz Stage @ Mouth of the Tyne Festival. From 12 noon. Free. Vieux Carré Jazzmen (12 noon); Rendezvous Jazz (1:00pm); Mississippi Dreamboats (2:00pm); Classic Swing (3:00pm); Abbie Finn Trio (4:00pm). Stage adjacent to Tynemouth Priory.
Sat 12: Making Music Seminar: Latin American Music v. Music of Latin America @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 1:00pm. £15.00. (£5.00. online). Jason Holcomb, Alix Shepherd & Carlos Luis Rivera.
Sat 12: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ Lovaine Community Garden, North Shields. 7:00pm (doors 6:40pm). £6.00. Limited places, booking essential (via the Community Garden website). BYOF&D.
Sat 12: Hot Club du Nord @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Hall Two.
Sat 12: Sleep Suppressor @ Repas 7 by Night, Berwick. 8:00pm.
Sat 12: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle.8:00pm. Free. ‘Swing Jazz Guitar’. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 13: Jazz Stage @ Mouth of the Tyne Festival. From 11:00am. Free. Trilogy of Four (11:00am); East Coast Jazzmen (12:10pm); Delta Prophets Trio (1:20pm); House of the Black Gardenia (2:30pm); Mouth of the Tyne All Stars (3:40pm). Stage adjacent to Tynemouth Priory.
Sun 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free. ‘The Bandstand Sessions’.
Sun 13: Julie Dexter @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:30pm (doors). £20.00. ‘The Cluny Matinee Jazz Club’.
Sun 13: ’58 Jazz Collective, Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 2:00pm. Tea Dance. SOLD OUT! A Durham Brass Festival event.
Sun 13: Ferg Kilsby @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn); Luis Verde (alto sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Hirst (drums).
Sun 13: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Sloth Racket @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club (1:00pm). Free.
Mon 14: Brass Bash @ Hardwick Park, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Mon 14: Brass Bash @ The Story, Mount Oswald, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.

Tue 15: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Sluice. Tel: 0191 237 3697. 12:30pm. ‘July Jazz Barbecue’. Tickets: £15.00.
Tue 15: Brass Bash @ Hackworth Park, Shildon, Co. Durham. 6:00-9:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Tue 15: Brass Bash @ The Witham, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Tue 15: Julian Lage Trio @ 1856 Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm . Lage (guitar); Jorge Roeder (double bass); Joey Barron (drums).
Tue 15: Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra @ The Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm.
Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Brass Bash @ Willington Town Park, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Wed 16: Brass Bash @ Market Place, Spennymoor, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
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.

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, November 04, 2016

CD Review: Paula Santoro & Ian Faquini - Metal na Madeira (Metal on Wood)

(Review by Steve T)
In 1979, as Jazz-funk descended into elevator music - some say it always was - Sonny Rollins live at Montreux was broadcast by the BBC throwing me a welcome lifeline in Jazz.
Some followed the demise all the way to smooth Jazz but others leapt on to the acid/Jazz/dance scene, modelled on Northern Soul from whence many of the DJs had evolved, and making heroes of artists like Mark Murphy and Houston Person, while relegating Miles and Trane to one hit wonders (Milestones, Mr PC respectively) and ignoring Satch, Duke and Bird altogether.
Latin Jazz, specifically from Brazil, found favour within the higher echelons of the scene, based largely on The Girl from Ipanema by Getz/Gilberto.
It turned out that Major Lance, the King of Northern Soul, was the second most successful soul act to come out of Chicago in the sixties and similarly, Girl from Ipanema is the second most covered song in the world, ahead of Summertimethough it's unclear whether Editor Lance has asked for a recount.
In the spirit of inclusivity, any and all Brazilian music is classed as Jazz, but much of this album says to me 'folk music', and I'm fascinated to read in the notes that Paula Santoro is a 'blend of Jazz and Brazilian Popular Music' (with a background in progressive rock).
To me, it fits more snugly into another Western construct, 'World Music' which includes any music that isn't almost entirely influenced by the British and American hegemony, with no consideration of whether the music is deemed classical, folk or popular within its own culture.
The album begins in upbeat fashion with Sereia and I can imagine it a dance-floor hit in places such as Newcastle’s Hoochie Coochie. The next three tracks are slowed down, more melody led and perfectly suited to Santoro’s luminous voice, climaxing in the sublime Vasta Ilha with only her deep, expressive vocals, acoustic guitar and light brushwork.
The title track picks up the pace again with busy horns, backing vocals and short solos on soprano and trombone, before a return to the small group format of singer and guitar on one, adding accordion on another, clarinet on another and bass and drums on another.
For once I even like the accordion which seems more 'organic' in this setting and not just present for novelty value as it so often is. And I'm pleased to say the song, like all the songs on the album, is sung entirely in Portuguese.
When I saw Ed Motta and Gilberto Gil at Sage Gateshead and when I play music for my best man’s Brazilian wife, I'm always struck by how everyone knows all of this music which is largely a mystery to Western ears and can sing along to all of it, but there's also enough here to appeal to a Western audience with a penchant for Latin Jazz, World music, South American folk or Brazilian pop.
It's already available on Ridgeway Records Rising Stars.
Steve T.
Paula Santoro (vocal), Ian Faquini (acoustic guitar, vocal).
Rafael Barata (drums, percussion), Scott Thompson (bass), Vitor Gonçalves (accordion, Rhodes), Harvey Wainapel (alto sax, clarinet), Jeff Cressman (trombone), Spok (soprano, spoken word), Sergio Krakowski (pandeiro),  Vivien Monica Golcwajg, Sandy Cressman (backing vocals).  

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