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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 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

18043 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 364 of them this year alone and, so far, 42 this month (May 15).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Sat 17: Teresa Watson Band @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 17: The Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Tel: 0191 500 9494. £26.00 (inc. two course meal). Line-up: Jason Holcomb, Hannah Taylor, Alix Shepherd & Abbie Finn.
Sat 17: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 17: Archie Brown & the Young Bucks @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues, Americana etc.
Sat 17: Bellavana @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30-10:00pm. Free. A Late Shows event.
Sat 17: Rockin’ Turner Brothers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Rockabilly, Western swing etc.

Sun 18: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Ruth Lambert & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 18: Steve Summers Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 19: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.
Tue 20: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth NE61 1ND. 8:00pm.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 21: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public). b Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 22: Nuevo Castillo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £5.00.
Thu 22: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:30-9:15pm. Free.
Thu 22: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 23: Dean Stockdale Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. ‘Celebrating Oscar’.
Fri 23: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 23: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Joe Steels Group @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. + £1.55. bf. A Northumberland Jazz Festival fringe event.
Fri 23: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 23: Gaz Hughes Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.
Fri 23: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £19.00.; £17.00. ‘Time After Time’.

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, January 09, 2017

Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe - January 4

(Review by Steve T)
According to the website, main man Dave Weisser likes to think of this as more of a workshop than a jam session. He sat at the front of a sparse audience like a Mingus character directing operations, chipping in trumpet, muted and singing as the mood took him, his own non-commissioned Dolphy, impressive on alto, flute and vocals, taking a lead on the shop floor.
My Funny Valentine as we arrived and there was also another lady alto player, 'bone, guitar, piano, bass and drums.
Dolphy switched to flute for Little Sunflower and, half way through, Mingus flicked a switch from 68 to 79 and the vocal version featuring Al Jarreau and some sterling piano from Chick Corea, so no pressure. The bass, in tune with the times, turned it up and funked it up with some slapping among the piano solo.

Sugar by Stanley Turrentine took it to the break, the new Knepper getting the strangest sounds from his muted bone at the intro, which I've no doubt Mingus would have loved and I'm sure his surrogate did tonight. The assembled horns, a tad uncomfortable at times, were splendid here, almost knocking you over.
It couldn't be a Mingus style workshop without a Dannie Richmond and there was Whiplash Mackellar sat in the middle like a Trojan Horse. On sneaked FDT and Dan Lawrence on guitar and bass respectively for three pieces during the break: I'll Remember April, On Green Dolphin Street and Blue Bossa. The Matthew Mackellar Trio became the Band with no Name but I think fate has intervened to name them and maybe the former should stick, even if it becomes something like MMT.
Great to see guitar and drums bouncing off each other, spurring each other on to bigger and better things, Dan solid as a rock between them, high in the mix, happy to let the other two take the leads and the bulk of the solos, though contributing a belter of his own near the end of the short set.
I've said before I always end up chatting music at the Globe and tonight I nailed the main man. He briefly named MMT the Best Band You've Never Heard and I wondered out loud whether he knew the Zappa reference - he did. Then we discussed Eddie Henderson and he hadn't realised he was a Cooker and played the Sage in November and this led to our shared love of the Crusaders.
The main band returned for Jobin’s Wave, Dolphy/Jude (I think) with a great natural voice reminding me of Corinne Drewery of Swing Out Sister, one of my favourite pop groups, with a strong soul, jazz and easy-listening influence.
A Big Up for the guitarist who contended with the precocious teenage punk with the conservatoire scholarship and the dancing young fingers. He was solid with a great sound - his own - and put together some subtle, inventive and well-constructed solos; some stuff Francis has wrestled with.
It may be a while before I get back to the Globe for a jam session/ workshop but hopefully I'll keep my date with Budtet on the twenty first of this month and maybe I'll feel brave enough to pick up a few of the names of the regulars to go with the instruments. 
Steve T.

3 comments :

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

What a treat to have Francis and his unfeasibly young and talented trio there.

Steve T said...

Nothing Freudian but, in bed for the last 2 nights I suddenly remembered a tenor player. I forgot to post it yesterday so double apologies to the gentleman.

Lance said...

No doubt it was Jeff Smith on tenor

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