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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.
Sat 17: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Newcastle City Library. 9:00-10:00pm. Free. A 'Late Shows' event.

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

Tuesday, April 04, 2017

GIJF: All About The Concourse

(Review by Ann Alex).
Saturday
I should have known nothing of the concourse on Saturday afternoon as I was supposed to be at the Jazz Co-op workshop, but flash floods at South Shields had me temporarily housebound so I eventually rolled into Sage Gateshead at about 3.30pm to catch the end of Triptych, lovely lyrical piano from Paul Edis.  Spine-tingling African voices then arose as Alfredo Rodriguez tuned up, piano, drums, bass and electronic effects, and Besame Mucho rang out, then a tune with a Caribbean sound came from the piano which managed to sound like a steel pan. Clever stuff indeed, very atmospheric. And as usually happens on the concourse, three children were running around and dancing sporadically, and one little girl had a Peppa Pig to help her along.

The bands were playing in the position where the cafe counter normally is, which gives an improvement in the acoustics. Perhaps a bit too much of an improvement as some of the bands were very loud this year, which a few people commented on. Miles Mosley sounded too loud from a distance, but better closer to the stage. Then came the Sage young musicians band Jazz Attack, conducted by Paul Edis, playing clarinet and guiding the young musicians like a mother hen. We had trumpet, 3 saxes, piano, guitars and drums, playing excellently, tunes such as Sack Of Woe (Adderley), the band’s composition Meal Deal, How High The Moon, St James Infirmary Blues, and finishing with the band’s Receding Hairline. Apparently they’d been playing by ear, with lots of collaborating, and it must be working as they were good. The future of jazz is safe in their hands. Some of them looked about only 12 years old – look out 18 year olds, the youngsters are coming!
The Stephen Wetherell Quartet were on next but it was time to eat. More tomorrow.

Sunday
I was listening from my shift on the Jazz Co-op stand, and also meeting many people, including Laura, Sheila and Monty the dog, Chris Finch and his young fledgling, also fellow BSH writer Stephen T. I’m so glad to make his acquaintance at last, so that I can look around at gigs to make sure we’re not both covering the same band for review. I Got to sign up a few people who’d like to receive information about the Co-op and the Globe. All good news.


Paul Edis was playing and chatting pleasantly, English Country Garden and Greensleeves  on piano, not clarinet this time. The John Pope Quintet (trumpet, 2 saxes, bass, drums) did a great set of Ornette Coleman tunes, which must have sounded outlandish when first heard, but sound almost normal now, if jazz can ever sound normal. The In/Out Trio (sax, drums, bass) played a continuous mixture of tunes, very pleasing, such as Bye Bye Blackbird, There’ll Never Be Another You, All Right With Me. The jazz graduate band Taupe (bass guitar, sax, drums) were rather loud for my taste, but I guess it’s a chance to experiment with dynamics. Then it was time to eat.
That was my concourse for another year.

Ann Alex

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