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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

17985(and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 306 of them this year alone and, so far, 62 this month (April 26).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. Guests: Jeremy McMurray (piano); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Mark Hawkins (drums); Adrian Beadnell (bass).

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Seaburn. 4:30-6:15pm. Free.
Fri 02: Nauta @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:00pm. £7.50. A ‘Nauta’s House’ gig featuring Nauta & guests Shayo Oshodi & David Gray.
Fri 02: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 02: Dom Pipkin @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Solo piano.
Fri 02: Abbie Finn Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00. + bf.

Sat 03: Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Summer Samba Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 03: Struggle Buggy @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 03: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Postmodern Jukebox @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Sat 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:30pm. Free.

Sun 04: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 04: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:00-5:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 04: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 04: Boys of Brass @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Ben Crosland Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 05: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 06: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Delaval. 12:30pm. £14.00. Tel: 0191 237 3697. ‘Victory in Europe Afternoon Tea’ (VE Day 80th anniversary).
Tue 06: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.
Tue 06: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 06: FILM: Whiplash @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 8:15pm.

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

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, March 20, 2017

Early Birds @ Jazz Café - March 16

Paul Edis (flute, clarinet, MD); Ben Lawrence, James Metcalfe (trumpets); Ryan DeSilva (baritone); Alex Thompson (alto); Mathew Downey (guitar); Phil Grobe (piano); Alex Shipsey (bass guitar); Matthew MacKellar (drums).
Ben Lawrence Trio - Dylan Thompson (drums).
(Review by Steve T).
Like police people, teachers and drivers, Early Birds just get younger. A veteran at seventeen, maybe now eighteen, Ben Lawrence was called upon to quell the high spirits of his fifteen or sixteen year old trio, after their debut at the Caff.
The band have regrouped and reinvented themselves and missed their former string section not.
Ladybird remains in the set and kicked things off for the just over twenty in the audience of mostly, but not exclusively family and friends. It's so easy for piano and guitar to get in each other’s way but these two have it cracked already, masterful comping from the guitarist and some great inflections cutting through from Dr Phil, his soloing far more confident and virtuosic than I've ever heard him. Look out Leeds.
Blue Bossa is another band favourite, here given a push towards the avant garde, particularly during the intro with Alex playing his mouthpiece and James playing muted.

Ben Lawrence then took the piano chair and Dylan Thompson relieved Whiplash of the drum-stool. Alex Shipsey remained on bass as the rest headed for the sidelines. The first piece by the trio was Tikka Taka which I'm guessing makes it a Lawrence original. It sounded like a piece from one of the great piano trios, Dylan seizing the opportunity to impress on a bit of a solo.
Beatrice followed, a Sam Rivers piece, Ben switching to a more seventies Fender Rhodes sound, but aimed at the head rather than the feet. Another innovator emerging.
The Early Birds reassembled for Autumn Leaves and a beautiful intro from Dr Phil and James, muted once again (but just his trumpet). The enhanced horn section, with Paul on flute and clarinet, make this band more brassy and big band-like but in a Gil Evans way, some excellent bluesy piano cutting through and the first solo from good old Nick - another young musician I love.  
Little Sunflower, which could be a bit of a signature piece, took us into the interval by which time the whole band had acquitted themselves with faultless ensemble playing and fine soloing all around, Matthew never failing to pull something out of the bag to embellish and enrich the whole thing, like a goalkeeper scoring goals.
Maiden Voyage got things going again before their most ambitious adventure yet. A free improvisation based on the workshops of Mingus and the Free Jazz School of the sixties.
Drums tend to restore order to these experiments, the rhythm section following, and Matthew proved a natural with more than enough technique to keep everything going and do the fancy stuff too. Just as Nick turned it into Ornette, James turned it into post - Bitches Brew Miles - James has a wandering spirit and could become a real innovator - before Alex and Ben got a thing going.
I've seen seasoned Jazz improvisers do this and people who specialise in this type of thing and tonight was up there. Perhaps the youngsters have less to un-learn. I've no doubt anybody from Jazz North East would have got it.
We left during Billie’s Bounce and I can imagine our editor checking the case law to see if that's even legal.
Steve T.


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