Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: ''It was then that Coltrane came along and single-handedly brought this dimension of spirituality into jazz. It was a pivotal experience to me.'' (DownBeat September, 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

18957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 821 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 30.) 100.

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

October.

Sun 04: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Heugh Battery, Hartlepool. 11:00am-12 noon & 1:00-2:00pm.
Sun 04: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 04: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet w. special guest Bill Watson (trumpet).
Sun 04: Sax Choir w. Rachel Musson @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Rivkala + Ceitidh Mac + Thatcher & Knowles @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. A NFOJAIM event.
Sun 04: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free. RESCHEDULED from September 27.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £3.00.

Mon 05: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 05: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 06: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Paul Grainger (double bass).
Tue 06: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Murray Oak, Paul Grainger, John Bradford.
Tue 06: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 06: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Northern Stage, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman stage play inspired by Nina Simone. First night of two.

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 07: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Northern Stage, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman stage play inspired by Nina Simone. Second night of two.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 08: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations).
Thu 08: Indigo Jazz Voices w. Little Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 09: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 09: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle.

Sat 10: Catfish Keith @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.00. + bf. Jumpin’ Hot Club.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Graham Hardy & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil. Nov 25

Graham Hardy (trumpet & flugelhorn) & Paul Edis (piano)
(Review by Russell/Photo courtesy of Brian Ebbatson)
Another Friday lunchtime, another full house. Yes, jazz at the Lit and Phil goes from strength to strength. November’s concert presented Graham Hardy and Paul Edis in a programme of original compositions and standards. The first five of ten tunes were, in order, written by Edis, Edis, Hardy, Edis and Hardy, of which two received a premiere public performance.
Hardy opened on flugelhorn on Edis’ McCoin a Phrase and 63 Years. The former a nod to McCoy Tyner, the latter a commission to celebrate the eightieth birthdays of a couple who had notched up 63 years –and counting – together. Boot Tree Blues (take a walk in Heaton Park and you’ll chance upon the tune’s inspiration, a kind of DIY art installation) featured the composer G.Hardy playing trumpet.

Two world premieres back to back. Edis’ It’s Been, It’s Gone, It’s Happened (Hardy on plungered trumpet) and Hardy’s The Pounce written a matter of weeks ago, its subject a rescued cat and its predilection for pouncing on the unsuspecting! The second half of the set turned to the familiar: Monk, Calderazzo (Joey), Van Heusen, Bach and Piaf. Pianist Edis offered the thought that you either like Thelonius Monk or you don’t. This begs the question: Who is this person who doesn’t like Monk? No matter, the duo played Ba-Lue-Bolivar-Ba-Lues. Time waits for no one – the Lit and Phil’s clock indicated it was almost time to go. Edis shared a truncated Two Part Invention No.4 with Hardy taking the right hand, Edis the left, and, gone two o’clock, Piaf: La Vie En Rose.

The Lit and Phil’s final lunchtime jazz concert of the year is one week before Christmas. Why not introduce a friend to one of Newcastle’s hidden gems? A lunchtime date, Friday 16 December, to hear Zoë Gilby sing. The concert starts at 1:00pm. Arrive early to ensure you get a seat or risk standing at the back of the room. Book in advance, telephone  0191 232 0192, or pay on the door, £4.00. Highly recommended.     

Russell.

 

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