Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18918 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 782 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 18.) 61.

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

September.

Thu 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 24: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 24: Arun Ghosh @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £21.05. (£22.00. on the door). A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 24: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 25: Mark Williams Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Get the Blessing + Dilettante @ The Cluny (Cluny 2), Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00. + bf. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 25: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 26: Adam Fairhall & Johnny Hunter: Play Mary Lou Williams @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 26: John Pope Quintet + Urvashi @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.40. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Sun 27: Salty Dog @ The Cluny. 12:30pm (doors). Free (donations).
Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Zach Sewell-Lara Hopper Quintet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 27: Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free. RESCHEDULED to Sunday 4 October.
Sun 27: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Alex Hitchcock Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Mon 28: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: Tenderly: The Life & Times of Nat ‘King’ Cole @ Hepscott Parish Hall. 7:30pm. . £15.00., £12.00. (Early Bird advance ticket), £10.00. Off-Broadway production feat. Duane Forrest.
Tue 29: Red Kites Jazz @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: Tenderly: The Life & Times of Nat ‘King’ Cole @ The Hearth, Horsley. 7:30pm. £15.00., £12.00. (Early Bird advance ticket), £10.00. Off-Broadway production feat. Duane Forrest.
Wed 30: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 30: New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds + Juliana Day & Manon McCoy + Helen Anahita Wilson @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. A BBC Introducing-Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Jazz Café Jam Session - January 17.

 (Review by Lance).
The first Jazz Café jam of 2017 began low key with guitarist Mark Williams at the helm in place of the, so we thought, still cruising Pete Gilligan. Lovingly caressing his recently acquired Heritage guitar, Mark set the mood with Out of Nowhere, I Love You and I Remember Clifford. With Morgan and Grainger providing solid support, the scene was set for the big hitters in the room to stand up and be counted.
First to show was Pete Tanton of SSBB and the Riviera Quartet. Pete, blowing open horn, did justice to Four and Bye Bye Blackbird. But, why have one trumpet when you can have two? Ray Johnson came down from the hills and the two brassmen had a friendly joust on There Will Never be Another You.

Time for a change. Nick Gould, the big sounding tenor player from Edinburgh, paired up with Johnson, young Matt Mackellar took over on drums and Pete Gilligan who, it would appear, was no longer cruising in the Antipodes occupied the piano stool for Johnny Mercer's Tangerine and somebody else's On Green Dolphin Street. The evening was just getting better and better!
Stu Finden joined Nick for a two tenor workout on Stella by Starlight before Pete Tanton added his weight to the front line for Billie's Bounce. John Pope had also appeared and Mark returned.
Like Someone in Love featured the two tenors with some scintillating interplay between them.
And still the troops kept on arriving!
This time it was Don Forbes, trumpet loaded and in the firing line. It was one of those boppy numbers that I can never remember the title of - it may have been Au Privave. Outstanding was Mackellar's solo on brushes.
There hadn't been any vocalists so far.
There was now!
Minnie Fraser gave outstanding performances of That Old Devil Moon and Stardust.
Pete was back on piano, Paul on bass and James Anderson, over from Ireland, on drums.
So, in the course of the evening, we'd had an American, a Scotsman, two Irishmen and an assortment of Englanders for a truly cosmopolitan night's jazz.
Next jam is on St. Valentine's Day.
Lance.
Mark Williams (guitar); Paul Grainger (bass); Russ Morgan (drums) + Pete Tanton, Ray Johnson (trumpets); Nick Gould, Stu Finden (tenors); Pete Gilligan (piano); John Pope (bass); Matthew Mackellar, James Anderson (drums); Minnie Fraser (vocal).
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