Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

CD Review: Torben Waldorff – Holiday on Fire

Torben Waldorff (guitar), Ingrid Jensen (trumpet), Maggi Olin (piano, Fender Rhodes), Drew Gress (bass) & Johnathan Blake (drums)
(Review by Russell).
Danish-born guitarist Torben Waldorff has assembled a stellar quintet to work on his latest project funded by the crowd-funding platform Artist Share. Over a period of several months Torben wrote the seven tunes on Holiday on Fire, Small’s, NYC, offered the intimate stage to premiere the work and the CD is now available to the jazz public.

All compositions are by Waldorff and the track listings on the CD offer an insight into his ideas and intentions; 1. Thyst Intro 2:29 Trumpet on open piano is self-explanatory – an intro featuring Ingrid  Jensen’s trumpet playing directed across the strings of an open piano, the composition of two and a half minutes’ duration. Track six Ironic Tonic 10:06 Simple statements on 7 and 4 requires simple contributions from Jensen, Maggi Olin, piano, Drew Gress, bass and drummer Johnathan Blake. A quintet of this calibre does ‘simple’ better than most. Some of New York’s finest, this is ‘simple’ on an altogether higher level – a ‘less is more’ philosophy. Waldorff’s solos, light of touch, float above the ensemble’s sound.
Holiday on Fire is a superior recording – melodic improvisations, the collective interpreting Torben Waldorff’s concept – on Artist Share (catalogue no. ASO151). Visit: www.waldorff.com.                   Russell.

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