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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

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

Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Mike Durham’s Classic Jazz Party @ The Village Hotel. Nov 4, afternoon

(Review by Russell).
The 2016 edition of Mike Durham’s Classic Jazz Party began with an informal session on Thursday evening in the Village Hotel’s on-site Victory Pub. Early arriving guests – they came from all over the world! – sat with a drink to listen to some of the star names of this year’s festival. Musicians arrived a day or two ahead of Friday’s official start to catch-up, rehearse and – in theory – sleep-off jet lag.
Friday 8:00am. Rehearsal time, then non-stop classic jazz over the weekend. Sleep would have to wait until an early Monday morning flight out of Newcastle International Airport!
            
Twelve noon: Tribute to Mike. Maestro Keith Nichols led a session dedicated to the late Mike Durham, founder of the Whitley Bay Jazz Festival, now known as ‘Mike Durham’s Classic Jazz Party’. The participation of Phil Rutherford (brass bass or sousaphone, if you will) maintained the local connection of a now truly international event. A further six half   or one hour sets during the afternoon session ranged from Jelly Roll Morton to Grappelli,  Bix and Clarence Williams, concluding with Menno Daams’s survey of Chicago’s pivotal role in the  development of the music.

Emma’s Hot Club Jazz featured Grappelli/Venuti virtuoso Emma Fisk leading a strings’ super group comprising Thomas ‘Spats’ Langham and Jacob Ullberger, guitars and Henri Lemaire, bass. A superb thirty minutes, Fisk imperious, the quartet played I’m Confessin’ with the Hot Club’s original introduction and coda. The very best of hot jazz, the highest of standards. Bix and his Gang - 1927 went about their business, maintaining the quality courtesy of Andy Schumm, cornet, Bixian slick-back hair ‘n’ all. At the Jazz Band Ball, a stompin’ Royal Garden Blues, Jazz Me Blues, this was a classy session, a full strength US contingent in support – Jim Fryer, trombone, the brilliant David Boeddinghaus, piano and the equally brilliant Josh Duffee, drums – alongside Europeans Robert Fowler, grappling with the bass saxophone, and the prodigiously talented Lars Frank, clarinet, mark this one down as a winner!

Claus Jacobi, reeds, led a one hour set playing the music of Clarence Williams’ Bands. The washboard band of the late 20s-early 30s trained the Inspiration Suite’s spotlight on Gunther Andernach. There can’t be too many washboard virtuosi; Mr Andernach has to be one of them! Martin Litton and Spats Langham’s Library of Congess – Volume 3 is proof, if any were needed, of the encyclopedic knowledge of the participants’ specialist subjects. Pianist Litton and the ever-popular Langham revisited the Library of Congress’ Alan Lomax interviews with Jelly Roll Morton. A rich seam awaits to be mined in 2017, 2018 and on.

Holland’s Menno Daams closed the afternoon session with a look at The Chicagoans. A stellar line-up (they are never less than stellar at the Classic Jazz Party) included Thomas Winteler (a Bechet man, for sure), New Orleanian pianist Boeddinghaus and UK vocalist Janice Day.   


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