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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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Matt Forster Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 17: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Jazz Milestones - 1975.
Thu 20: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 20: Orange Claw Hammer + Peony @ The Globe, Newcastle.7:30pm. Orange Claw Hammer play Captain Beefheart.
Thu 20: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Featuring special guest Zoë Gilby.

Fri 21: JazzMain @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 21: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. TBC.
Fri 21: Emma Rawicz w. Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 23: 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

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Mike Durham’s Classic Jazz Party @ The Village Hotel. Nov 5, evening.

(Review by Russell/photo from Patti’s f/b page)
Bonfire night. Fireworks in the sky, would there be fireworks in the Inspiration Suite? A new departure for the Classic Jazz Party presented a jazz treatment of Greig’s Peer Gynt suite. German reedsman Claus Jacobi arrived on North Tyneside with a briefcase full of arrangements for Music of the Fjords. Swede Jacob Ullberger, guitar, and Norwegians Lars Frank, reeds, and Morten Gunnar Larsen, piano were in on it, so too, Robert Fowler, bass saxophone, ‘bone man Graham Hughes and percussion master Josh Duffee (seen here with 'jazz maniac' EmRah.).

 Claus Jacobi returned to the stage to co-present Jazz in Los Angeles with Keith Nichols. Their programme explored the music of West Coast-based musicians, composers and (in the case of the Spikes brothers), music publishers, many of whom worked as Hollywood studio staff musicians. An informative, potted history of the period referenced Alex Hill, Paul Howard’s Quality Serenaders (Howard employed a promising Lionel Hampton and Lawrence Brown) and Louis Armstrong. Trumpeters Andy Schumm and Enrico Tomasso featured, Jean-François Bonnel lounged studiously in the reeds alongside the consistently good Richard Exall and the region’s star performers – Emma Fisk and Phil Rutherford – contributed to a fascinating set. Thunderous applause greeted Tomasso’s spirited ‘Louis’ trumpet and vocal finale on Shine.

A small group session reunited vocalists Mellow Baku and Janice Day. Songbirds heard first one, then the other, working with the fine trio of Martin Litton, piano, Malcolm Sked playing double bass and drummer Richard Pite in swing mode. Baku selected Skylark and many others including How High the Moon?, Stormy Weather and, with pianist Litton as accompanist, presented a magnificent reading of Come Sunday. Janice Day sang about a Blue Moon, La Vien Rose and that Old Devil Moon. Ms Baku and Ms Day concluded a most entertaining set singing about a honky tonk parade – it’s only a Paper Moon, don’t you know?

The Don Redman Orchestra assembled on stage for the closing set. There wasn’t a seat to be had in the concert hall as Josh Duffee’s all star band played Redman’s arrangements for Fletcher Henderson, McKinney’s Cotton Pickers and his own band of the 1930s. The trumpet section (Daams, Heitger and Tomasso) and the reeds (Bonnel, Frank and Fowler) had their hands full dealing with the music, eyes trained on the dots, this was something special! Piano, bass and drums (Boeddinghaus, Lemaire and Duffee) worked their socks off, similarly genial Jim Fryer, trombone, and guitarist Jacob Ullberger, hidden away in the depths of the engine room. Fryer sang How’m I Doin’, Keith Nichols joined the boys to sing Gee, Baby, A’int I Good to You? and there was Redman’s signature Chant of the Weed. Robert Fowler and Jean-François Bonnel engaged in a muscular tenor chase finale on Redman’s 1953 (positively modern!) For Europeans Only. The set of the day! Those with the stamina retired to the bar for another late night jam session.                                             

1 comment :

Anonymous said...

How'm I doin', twee twee twee, twa twa! I'm just about back to earth after this heavenly jazzy weekend - and already starting planning for next year's! Thank you, Russell, for the write ups - and Lance, as always, for his great blog!

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