Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18656 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 520 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 25) 72

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

June

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 30: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

July

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ 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: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 02: De’Sean Jones & Blaque Dynamite feat. Urban Art Orchestra @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). De’Sean Jones (MD, tenor sax); Blaque Dynamite (Mike Mitchell, drums); Jamie Murray (drums) with UAO horns & strings.
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Thu 02: Howlin’ Mat @ Newcastle Arts centre. 7:30pm. Free. Acoustic

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Paul Donnelly Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: Martin Taylor @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Taylor (solo guitar).

Sat 04: Spats Langham’s Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:00-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Take the ‘A’ Train to Summertime: From Melody to Masterclass. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest TBC.
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Saturday, April 08, 2017

GIJF: The (almost) Complete Works.

I think we can say that we did the 2017 edition of GIJF rather proud this year! Almost a blanket coverage with possibly more to come!
Thank you to Ann, Russell, Steve T, Steve H, Ken Drew, Hugh C and everyone else who chipped in.
It was quite a weekend!
Reviews:

Laura Jurd's Dinosaur & Daniel Herskedal.
Clare Teal & her Hollywood Orchestra.
Binker & Moses.
Dean Stockdale Trio.
-----
Three Nations Under One Groove.
ICP & Garibaldi Plop Orchestra.
Ronnie Scott's All Stars.
GoGo Penguin & Shobaleader.
Miles Mosley.
Jam Session.
All About the Concourse.
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Sulzmann/Iles duo/Trish Clowes 'My Iris' Quartet. 
Jambone w. Zoe Gilby & Matt Anderson.
Jazz Africa/Jazz Cuba.
Alan Broadbent & Georgia Mancio Songbook Quartet.
Paul Edis (solo piano).
John Pope Quintet.
Family Jazz All Stars w. Zoe Gilby.
Thomasz Stanko Quartet.
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Festival Fringing.
Before and After.

Lance.

1 comment :

Steve T said...

Family stuff meant I missed Friday and most of sat, but I'd more or less made that decision beforehand. The 3 shows I may have been interested in were Laura Jurd, Binker + Moses and GoGo Penguin, all of whom I saw at the Sage last year, and I'd rather have Jurd just with her Dinosaurs, B+M as a support act and GGP as a headline, the headliners dividing opinion on whether it was Jazz or any good, with no obvious decisions along lines of age, regular or visitor, geek or philistine, musician or not.
Miles Mosley was brilliant but a part of me held out hope for the earthquake I still anticipate.
Popes Ornette Quintet meant I was there for Trish Clowes, which I enjoyed more than the album, which may or may not have been the Ross Stanley affect. Incidentally the first time I ever saw him live was with Steve Howes Jazz trio, featuring his son Dylan Howe on drums.
Sunday night was great too but as relevant to readers of Songlines as Jazzwise, and while the first band were probably Jazz first and the second (and best) certainly were, it was only mildly disappointing that the final act of the festival was world music first and Jazz second or third; but I split hairs.

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