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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

18018 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 339 of them this year alone and, so far, 17 this month (May 7).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Thu 15: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: The Greatest in Jazz - Guitarists.
Thu 15: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 15: New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). John Garner & John Pope.

Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Sophie Speed with the Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 16: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 16: Giles Strong Quartet @ Longframlington Memorial Hall. 7:00pm (doors). Tickets: £12.00. from 01665 570984.
Fri 16: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £10.00.
Fri 16: Peter Donegan & Anthony Donegan @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. ‘Lonnie Donegan - The Stories’.

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: 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).
Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

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, February 13, 2017

Southport Jazz Festival: Dixon, Edmonstone, Walker Quintet - February 5

Iain Dixon (sax), Malcolm Edmonstone (piano), Mike Walker (guitar), Steve Watts (bass), Steve Brown (drums).
(Review by Steve T)
Insomuch as I still have (or ever had) such things, Mike Walker is probably the nearest thing I have to a current day Jazz hero. Normally I'm perfectly happy to chat with the stars and generally make an a$$ of myself, but I kept a reverential distance from him.
The first piece had the formidable sax/guitar frontline playing the head, the rest equally strong and we were straight into a Mike Walker solo, then alto, some tasty piano dipping in and out throughout. Bass solo and fours with sax, guitar and piano, Walker changing the sound each time with his box of tricks.
I couldn't quite follow the introductions but I know there was something from Kenny Wheeler which may or may not have been, as Dixon doing the announcements said, something we're all in which, given Bexit/Trump was a recurring theme throughout the festival, was probably the sh!t. 
Ladieand/in Mercedes, All the Things You Are (I think), dazzling displays of virtuosity all round and drums prominent throughout. I Fall in Love Too Easily, some perfectly pitched brushwork behind lovely piano by Edmostone, depping for injured Les Chisnall and ending with extended lone sax before drums came clattering back in followed by piano and guitar, sax still blaring and my notes say it had transformed into (would you believe) All the Things you Are. Clearly starting to catch up with me.
Piano and drums dropped out leaving some extraordinary interplay between the remaining three when the sitting came back in and away it went again.
Passion Dance by Joe Henderson and I love it when the sax just goes and goes and keeps on going, the rest firing on all cylinders behind. A final, extended solo from Walker, a final dip into his box of tricks and the audience clearly in disbelief, after two days of amazing stuff, Iain Dixon almost unable to contain himself, though he must have heard it many times before. A Jazz- rock jam-out, which could have been Mahavishnu or Zappa at his Jazz-rockiest, though without the Hendrixesque excesses McLaughlin could be prone to on occasion.
Can you imagine missing that?, a lady in front said to me and I felt FDTs pain, more so than when he missed his tutors and more than when he missed his fellow students.
If you want to ensure your kids keep in touch with you, go to a Jazz Festival they'd give their right leg (retaining their playing arm) to be at.
Roll on next year.  
Steve T.

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