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Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: '' A Love Supreme coincided with my search for meaning in life". (DownBeat, March 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

17873 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 194 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (March 14).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED PERMANENTLY!
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Nicknames.
Thu 20: Terri Green Experience @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.90.
Thu 20: King Bees @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb blues band.
Thu 20: Lindsay Hannon Trio @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Hannon’s ‘Tom Waits for No Man’ set.
Thu 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 21: Paul Skerritt @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 21: Giles Strong Quartet @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Fri 21: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Featuring special guest Martin Litton (piano).

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Swamp Stomp String Band @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Sat 22: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: The Great Deceivers @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Tom Atkinson & co play King Crimson (1969-1974). Atkinson (guitar); Josh Bentham (alto sax); Stu Dawson (bass); Jeff Armstrong (drums).

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: Fred Wesley & the New JB’s @ The Cluny. 7:30pm (doors). £27.50. POSTPONED! New date Wednesday 26 November.

Thu 27: Hannabiell & Midnight Blue @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 27: Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb blues duo.

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, April 03, 2017

GIJF Day 2: Double Bill: GoGo Penguin; Shobaleader @ Sage Gateshead – April 1

GoGo Penguin
Nick Blacka (double bass); Chris Illingworth (piano); Rob Turner (drums)
(Review by Ann Alex)
This talented hard-working band were a sheer joy to hear. Their stated aim is to produce music which has an electronic sound, but on acoustic instruments. They had elements in common with 1970’s prog rock, but enough jazz-like aspects to be labelled ‘Jazz’. The bass produced deep beats and real tunes; the piano was skilled, occasionally played by manipulating the strings manually; the drummer was a full, energetic part of the band. The audience applauded with genuine enthusiasm; the lower level of Hall 1 was full. I wasn’t surprised to read that the band had been nominated for the Mercury Prize.
Full flowing melodies, sounds from computer games, strong beats, riff-based tunes tumbled out. Most of the music was taken from their third album, Man Made Object (with Blue Note Records).
Tracks with titles such as All Res; Initiate, Branches Break, Protest. Branches Break gave us some delightful ‘chuff, chuff’ sounding percussion, and Protest sounded like the title, the piano playing a flowing tune perhaps representing ‘good’ against the rest of the band roaring out ‘evil’.
The band well deserved the standing ovation that they received from many in the audience.
After seeing Shobaleader (pictured) I think I need counselling. I’ve never seen anything quite like it on a stage. Imagine the set-up, a darkened stage with lots of black box amplification to the left and electronic equipment to the right. Enter four men (I think they were men, but they could have been robots) dressed as monks, who played guitars, drums and did the electronics. Then their faces became light motifs, squares, triangles, snout shapes and circles, in a regular sequence of green, yellow, blue, red.
I wanted to laugh as one of the shapes was a wide sort of smile. Was this comedy? It certainly wasn’t
Jazz. Yet it was intriguing and I couldn’t stop watching.
The music was electronic, loud, beaty, often very tuneful, lots of riffs repeated. The face lights varied, sometimes multicoloured patterns, sometimes circles spinning round the heads. The sudden changes in patterns were amusing, and other people around me also found them humorous. The light show became wilder, flashing white lights, lots of dry ice. It was all too much for some of the audience as about 20 or so people left. There’s a photo of the band in action on the front of the Sage brochure covering March and April.
No words were spoken or sung during the performance, so I consulted the band’s website, which declares that the personnel go under the names of Strobe Hazard; Squarepusher; Company Laser  and Arg Nution. I tried to read an interview that the band gave, which made no sense at all, nor, I suspect, was it meant to. I must say that this band portrays the opposite of individualism, as we are no wiser about who they are. As I say, I was intrigued and rather enjoyed myself in an odd way, but I wouldn’t want to see them again. But they must have some lasting appeal to some audiences.
Were they dressed as monks because, I’m told, that Medieval cathedrals were actually massive light shows, because of the painted walls and light coming in through the stained glass windows? Just an interesting thought that I had on the metro, going home.
Ann Alex

1 comment :

Lance said...

You can fool some of the people etc. particularly on April 1...

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