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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

Monday, December 12, 2016

Budtet @ Prohibition Bar, Gateshead - December 11

Jude Murphy (vocals, alto sax, flute); Fiona Finden (vocals, soprano sax); Stu Finden (tenor sax); Lin Lee (piano); Jim Crinson (double bass); Eric Stutt (drums) Dave Weisser (cornet).
(Review by Lance).
My first visit to the Prohibition Bar - a converted railway arch within staggering distance of Sage Gateshead - saw the Jazz Messengers inspired Budtet preaching to the converted - work to be done there. Fortunately, those pilgrims who did take the road to Damascus or, to be more precise, Brandling St. certainly got The Message in the opening number. A fast bebop groove with solos all round and scintillating fours 'twixt tenor and drums. 
A relatively unchanged programme from their last gig - why change a winning team? - didn't in any way lessen the enjoyment. Being Christmas, the obligatory seasonal song was included which, tonight, was Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I doubt if you'll hear a better version than Jude Murphy's - in fact, you probably have to be called Jude or Judy to do the song justice. Jude did it justice. Apart from singing the words and the tune, her facial expressions add a third dimension to the delivery. Throw in some alto and flute (Corcovado) and you have the complete package.
Not that Jude was the only singer-saxophonist aboard. Fiona Finden of the curved soprano sang I Fall in Love Too Easily, Corcovado, All Blues, the challenging Ellington piece, Sound of Love and an original lyric based on Wes Montgomery's Four on Six.
Instrumentals included Moanin' and This I Dig of You. Jude also sang Teaneck, Walk Between the Raindrops and Days of Wine and Roses. I closed my eyes and I was hearing Anita O'Day.
Apart from Fiona and Jude, the Pretty Section, as Ellington used to say when he wasn't loving you madly, also included Lin Lee who once again stunned any chauvinists present with her piano playing. A star in the making.
The male half of the sextet, needless to say, weren't to be outdone with some fine Finden tenor, dynamic drumming from Eric and Jim Crinson ticking all the right boxes on double bass.
Then, just when we thought it was safe to leave, up jumps Dave Weisser armed with cornet and microphone.
Yardbird Suite and Take the A Train, the former had the horns performing as a vocal group and the latter a reminder that there were trains above us although I didn't notice them - this A Train was good enough for me.
Next Sunday, Dave and Jude are back at the Prohibition Bar with Big Muddy.
Lance.
PS: As I awaited the arrival of the number 27 I heard a couple who'd also been at the gig talking. "People should have been queuing down the street to get in!" said the man. "Agreed" replied the woman, as they occasionally do.

2 comments :

Steve T said...

Looks like I picked the wrong weekend to go under the camera.

Jude Murphy (on F/b) said...

Really nice review, thanks Lance - good to see you and Russell there last night

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