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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sun 09: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 09: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ The Forum, Billingham. 3:00pm.
Sun 09: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Tom Remon & Mark Williams @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 09: Rod Oughton’s Tomorrow’s New Quartet with Ben van Helder @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Deschanel Gordon.
Sun 09: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 11: Steve Summers Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Free. Inc. Olly Styles (tenor sax).
Thu 13: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: Artist Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Hannabiell & Midnight Blue.
Thu 13: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 12:30-1:30pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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, June 19, 2017

De’Sean Jones & Knomadik @ Dacre Hall, Lanercost – June 16

De’Sean Jones (tenor); Jamie Murray (drums); Mikele Montoli (bass); Russell Gelman-Sheehan (guitar); Chase Jackson (vibes) + Jack Moore (alto).
(Review by David Gosling)
Detroit’s young saxophone titan swept into Cumbria, via three London gigs and a night at Preston’s New Continental, to play a storming gig in rural Lanercost.
Lanercost had secured the appearance of De’Sean Jones and his Knomadik band via a previous appearance De’Sean made in 2014 whilst touring the northwest with pianist Greg Spero.                      
“I remembered this charismatic ancient venue and felt that it would be good to come back and play it with my own band this time”, said Jones.
How to describe De’Sean Jones and his music is tricky but Jazz fusion, in the normal understanding of the genre, it is not. It’s certainly jazz, and if you add in funk, urban and a dash of hip-hop then maybe you are getting closer to the mark. At least that’s what I was hearing.
Knomadik (although De’Seans baseball cap spells it KNMDK) seems a fitting title as young musicians encountered by De’Sean, as he tours the world, are then incorporated into the as and when a location suits. For the Dacre Hall gig we had De’Sean Jones tenor sax, Jamie Murray from London on drums, Mikele Montolli from Italy on bass, Russell Gelman-Sheehan from Philadelphia on guitar, and on vibraphone. from Los Angeles, Chase Jackson.
Counting in the first number with a semi beatbox/rap introduction De’Sean and the band launched into a funked up version of Miles Davis’ Tutu which must have lasted at least 10 minutes as it moved seamlessly from one phase to another. The excellent Chase Jackson on vibraphone gently underpinning the rhythms in a style that would be blown away in the following numbers as his exuberant percussive playing came to the fore.
The ensuing tunes were all taken from De’Sean’s 2015 album Knomadik Reverence (Detroit Music Factory DMF2007) with the one exception being when, in true pied piper/nomadic style, the tenor sax man recalled playing with a young man in 2014, who he had spotted in the audience, and invited him up onto the stage to play what he termed ‘some Detroit Funk’. Up stepped 15-year-old Jack Moore from Cockermouth, who had so impressed everyone when Greg Spero had called him up to the bandstand at the same venue in 2014, to perform alongside De’Sean on alto sax. After a 10 second conversation between the two the band launched into a scorching number that allowed both saxophones ample room to show their improvisational skills. Hard blowing pyrotechnics were the order of the day with young Jack more than holding his own against the Detroit Lion. A performance that shows promise of much greater things to come from young Jack Moore.
As for De’Sean Jones, I had described him as ‘a force of nature’ in the pre-concert publicity but on this showing, I had clearly underestimated him.

The evening opened with local sax-girl Roz Sluman, who also played with De’Sean and the Greg Spero Quartet in 2014, and her Ol’ Bones band playing a jazz fusion set covering tunes by Chic Corea, David Sanbourn, Dave Grusin and Spyra Gyra to name but a few. Alongside Roz was Paul Maclachlan on bass, Kenny Reed on drums, Brian Melville on keyboards and Johnny Miller on guitar and their lively set proved the perfect introduction for what was to come.
David Gosling

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