Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''We knew back in the day that Emmet [Cohen] had it.'' (DownBeat July, 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

18680 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 544 of them this year alone and, so far this month (July 3) 8

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

July

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Kevin Eland (trumpet).
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.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 07: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:30pm. Free.
Tue 07: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Sax on the Tyne @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £8.00. Feat. Sax on the Tyne & St George’s Community Choir.
Wed 08: Abbie Finn Trio @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 09: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 09: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 09: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 10: Swing Manouche @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Olly Styles & Jacob Egglestone @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 10: Archipelago @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:00pm . New album fundraiser gig.
Fri 10: King Bees @ Rebel Yell, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Chicago blues.

Sat 11: Spanish City Rollers @ Community Stage: Mouth of the Tyne Festival, Front Street, Tynemouth. 12 noon. Free.
Sat 11: Jazz Stage: Mouth of the Tyne Festival (o/s Tynemouth Priory), Tynemouth. Free. Vieux Carré Hot 4 (12 noon); Rendezvous Jazz (1:00pm); Castillo Nuevo Trio (2:00pm); Classic Swing (3:00pm); Abbie Finn Trio (4:00pm). Day 1/2.
Sat 11: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man + Adam Millington @ St John’s Chapel, Town Hall, Weardale DL13 1QF. 5:00pm (doors). £16.26., £10.84., £8.67., £5.42 (under 18).
Sat 11: Milne Glendinning Band @ Langley Tracks, Langley-on-Tyne. 5:30pm.
Sat 11: Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:30pm.
Sat 11: Karberry Big Band @ Forest Hall Social Club. 7:00pm. £7.00.
Sat 11: Ray Quinn: The King of Swing @ The Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

RIP Stan Robinson (1936 - 2017)

Regrettably, I don't think I ever heard Stan Robinson either live or on record. Although, such was his reputation as a tenor, soprano, flute and clarinet player, I surely must have done. Robinson, who died on April 9, played in a host of top bands both big and small and it is inconceivable that our paths didn't cross somewhere along the line.
Those bands included Maynard Ferguson, Tubby Hayes Big Band, Alan Ganley/Keith Christie Jazzmakers, Bert Courtley and many others most of whom I've seen at one time or another - maybe I was in the right place at the wrong time or vice versa.

So, although unable to quote a personal memory I will, nevertheless, bemoan the passing of a British jazzman who certainly deserved recognition beyond his peers.
Read the warm obituary on LondonJazzNews.
Stan Robinson died 5 days short of his 81st birthday. May he rest in peace.
Lance.
PS: There's a clip on the London site of Stan Robinson playing alongside Frank Holder at the latter's 91st birthday party which reveals him to be a very gutsy player. I must have him on an album somewhere - the search begins...

3 comments :

Anonymous said...

R.I.P. Stan.
A really good musician and nice guy. I had a lesson with him....late '60's. I didn't know him, or anything about him at that time. Don Rendell had told me to call him. The lesson lasted about two hours and when I asked how much I owed him, he replied "would a pound be alright?" I didn't see him for about five years after that until he was playing at the Torrington Jazz club in Finchley, North London. He saw me and he said (like I'd just seen him yesterday) "Hello John, how's it going?"
You're going to be missed, Stan.

john said...

I lived next door to stan in the 90s what a guy great friend great sax player with a heart of gold rip mate

Unknown said...

I first heard Stan at the 606 club on Kings road in the early ‘80’s, on my first visit to London. I absolutely loved his playing, such a beautiful angular and pure approach, I met him booked my first lesson with him that evening. Over the years we became great friends, and when touring thru London years later to work at Ronnie’s, I always called Stan in advance and try to book him for more of his time for a lesson. I always had to talk him into it!
Well the word got around and soon Stan had a few saxophone player colleagues of mine from Vancouver BC Canada studying with him. We all loved him. Stan was a musicians musician, well known through reputation in jazz circles globally. Later on when studying with George Coleman in New York, I happen to mention Stan to George and George expressed being a big admirer of his playing.
No surprise that Stan was also a great story teller. He called me one day years ago to tell me about a lesson he had just taught. He had received a phone call from a woman who was a saxophone player who was interested in a lesson, citing that she had been a fan of his for years. So she booked a time with Stan. The day of, Stan was watching for her out the window of his apartment building and saw a convertible
Jaguar approaching with a woman he described as being the real life version of Jessica Rabbit behind the wheel. She pulls up in front of his building, grabs her alto from the passenger seat and buzzes Stans intercom. She comes up to his flat, Stan lets her in and they make some small talk before Stan out of sheer curiosity asks for you mind me asking, what do you do for a living?’ She says ‘I’m a saxophone player’
Stan says ‘well you obviously do very well! how can I be of any service?’ She says ‘well I’ve always had a question about the instrument and I’m wondering what this key does’ as she points to her octave key. Stan says ‘that’s your octave key, didn’t you tell me you were a professional saxophone player?!’ She replied yes. Stan then asks ‘do you mind me asking then what type of gigs do you do??’
She replies ‘I work in elite bars throughout Germany, I walk topless on the bars at last call playing my saxophone’

R.I.P. Stan

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