Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18621 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 485 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 14) 37

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

June

Tue 23: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 23: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 24: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 25: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 25: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Forgotten Ones & Any Quintets.
Thu 25: Edgar Ho Trio @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free. Brilliant alto sax, piano & double bass trio. Unmissable!
Thu 25: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 26: Finn-Keeble Group @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9:00.
Fri 26: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 26: Clark Tracey @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. £26.00. Day 1/2.

Sat 27: OUTRI @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £13.01. 1:00-1:45pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: House of the Black Gardenia + Magpies of Swing @ The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sat 27: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 2:15-3:15pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 3:45-4:45pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Rory Ingham @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 5:30-6:30pm. £19.51. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Ingham w. Dean Stockdale, Ian Paterson, Dave McKeague.
Sat 27: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 27: Laura Jurd @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £26.00. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Sat 27: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary’s Church, Wooler. 3:00pm. £18.00., £6.00. A Wooler Arts Summer Concerts event. Tim Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: An Evening of Jazz @ St James’ Church, Copper Chare, Morpeth. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 from 01670 788869 or 01670 519923. Mid Northumberland Chorus (MD Robin Forbes, Emma Straughan, piano) w. jazz trio featuring Edgar Ho, Oscar Ho & Dave McKeague & special guest Emily Masser. Performance inc. Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass + George Shearing’s Songs & Sonnets.
Sun 28: Led Bib @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.00., £12.00. JNE.

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Identity Crisis


At last night's gig at the Prohibition Bar, a lady was enquiring about the late Charlie Lovell whose alto playing enlivened the scene in the pre-millennium years. I'm not sure, but Charlie may have been the alto player on this photo from the Wheatsheaf in New York (North Tyneside version). Can anyone verify and, if you know the lady, pass the info onto her. Others in the photo are; Eric Gamblin (guitar); Charlie Carmichael, Leo Harwood (tenors) and, on trombone and clarinet?...
Lance.

11 comments :

Unknown said...

Charlie Carmichael was greattttt

Lance said...

Couldn't agree more Dave. Apart from being a very good friend, the late Charlie could blow just about anybody off the stage in a 33 bar chorus. Tommy Moran could do it in 32 but, as Charlie used to say, "Who's counting? and when Charlie was in full flight a lot of sax/clarinet/flute players took to the hills!

Lance said...

I also recall Brian Fisher saying that Charlie was the only guy in the north east who could play bebop clarinet - it should have been inscribed on his gravestone.

Unknown said...

The clarinet player (if that's the correct description) is Monroe Sutherland, noted for not being a very good player. He had a "feud" with another famously poor clarinet player and regular at the Wheatsheaf, Russ Miller. Russ once asked Monroe if it was true that he was giving up playing. Monroe, nettled, said no, absolutely not! Russ, apparently much relieved, replied: "Thank God, otherwise I'd be the worst f***ing clarinet-player in the North East!"

Lance said...

Ah yes Monroe Sutherland! Mention of Russ Miller reminds me of when we were flying back from the Breda Jazz Festival. I was sitting next to Russ and, across the aisle was a German chap. Russ said to him, "We've been to the Breda Jazz Festival."
A Teutonic grunt.
"Heard some really good bands."
Another grunt.
"I suppose, being German you're more of a one for classical music - Beethoven and all that."
He gave Russ a steely glare that Heinrich Himmler would have been proud of.
"I do not like any music!"
Russ turned to me and said, "Friendly sort of chap!"
Russ had a baritone sax that had once belonged to George Melachrino, of Geraldo fame, which he actually sold to Charlie Carmichael who in turn sold it to a lad who worked next to me in J.G. Windows. He eventually sold it in Amsterdam. I wonder where it is now?


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

I'm fairly sure it's Charlie [Lovell], Lance. The haircut and especially that shoulder (it seemed to help him solo, though he must have had permanent neck ache!) are exactly how I remember him from the 80s.

Colin Aitchison said...

The picture is not The Wheatsheaf it is The Porthole, North Shields.
The trombone player is Lenny Sampson. Cannot identify the alto sax..

Liz said...

Blimey..George Melachrino, haven't heard that name for decades!Didn't he have his own band at one time?

Lance said...

The Melachrino Strings were regular broadcasters on the BBC back in the '50s.

Rachel Richman said...

It was myself who was enquiring about Charlie Lovell. And he definitely is not late. Alive and well and a splendid 91 years of age. I met him again today, and his lovely wife, Olive.

Lance said...

Good news indeed. Pass on my regards. He won't remember me by name but he might recall me as one of the guys who sold him reeds in Windows Music Shop way back when...

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