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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 11: Steve Summers Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Free. Inc. Olly Styles (tenor sax).
Thu 13: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: Artist Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Hannabiell & Midnight Blue.
Thu 13: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 12:30-1:30pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 16: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: BBC Introducing NE X MOBO Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Jambone, Knats, Rivkala, SwanNek.
Sun 16: The Shayo Experience @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 16: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 16: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

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

Monday, November 21, 2016

John Wilson Orchestra w. Kim Criswell & Matthew Ford @ Sage Gateshead - November 21.

 












(Review by Lance).


My timbers shivered as I awaited the Quaylink bus to paddle me to Sage Gateshead - it was that kind of day! It occurred to me that I wouldn't have endured this weather to see the films let alone the songs and soundtracks. However, meeting up with Liz, Margaret, Valerie and Jane soon warmed me up and, upon reflection, often the songs and soundtracks were better than the storylines anyway. Certainly, the near capacity audience at this matinee seemed to think so.
No way could it be described as a jazz gig although there were quite a few jazz names in the line-up.
Alfred Newman's Street Scene from How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) is one of the most evocative film scores and even without Monroe, Bacall & Grable I wasn't complaining. After all, I had Liz, Valerie, Jane and Margaret. And then Kim!
Ms. Criswell sang I'm the Greatest Star from Funny Girl and, if she isn't, then she should be. Love of my Life from The Pirate gave way to Matthew Ford telling us that Something's Gotta Give (Daddy Long Legs, 1955).
The program promised Laura but it turned out she was only a dream and, instead, we got a ballet sequence from Forever Darling - Confetti. I'd have preferred Laura
Ford returned for If Ever I Should Leave You (Camelot 1967) and it set, I'm sure, a few ladies hearts a fluttering.
Kim returned for So Long, Dearie from Hello Dolly. This was the showstopper! She had it and she flaunted it and the song contained the immortal line; "I should have said ' so long', so long ago."
The set finished with part of the soundtrack of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).
A 45-minute set and a short interval saw us back on our seats for the overture to My Fair Lady then a suite from A Place in the Sun. Two long orchestral pieces in a row had some of the audience losing the plot but they were back on course when Kim returned, wearing a gown that defied gravity, and took the room apart with two songs from Yentl - The Way He Makes me Feel and Papa Can You Hear me?
What could follow that we wondered, little realising we'd be saying the same after the next one - an instrumental to boot!
Tom and Jerry at MGM is an arrangement by John Wilson of various soundtracks by Scott Bradley of the greatest cartoon series ever. This was an absolute hoot, you could almost see the cat v mouse scenario being played out.
Matt Ford returned for Gigi and Days of Wine and Roses before Wilson announced the finale as a Suite from Gone With the Wind. Not the finale I was hoping for but at least it wasn't Star Wars.
Naturally, the finale wasn't really the finale - we had another orchestral piece before Matt and Kim returned for You're Just in Love from Call Me Madam
Earlier, as we sipped our chosen aperitif and ate our BLT, John Sibbald was sitting at the piano and playing the most delightful music - nonstop and far more tasteful than our BLT!
Nice to meet up with John again. We gigged together in the dim and distant past!
Lance.
John Wilson Orch w. Kim Criswell & Matthew Ford (vocals) and an 80 piece orchestra including: Jamie Kenny (bass); Colin Oxley (guitar); Matt Skelton (drums); Howard McGill (alto/clarinet/flute); Mark Crooks (tenor/clarinet); Mike Davis (baritone/alto clarinet/bass clarinet/oboe/flute); Michael Lovatt (trumpet); Gordon Campbell (trombone).

1 comment :

Liz said...

an excellent review as ever Lance. For me I would have liked more vocals, so many great numbers from the Oscar winning films of those days. Also, in a quite short concert I thought the Orchestral pieces were a bit long, especially the Robin Hood feature. But hey!a great show

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