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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

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’.

Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:15pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bywell Hall, Stocksfield. 1:30pm. Northumberland County Show.
Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm.
Sat 24: Dean Stockdale Quartet + Mingus Sings @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Stockdale (piano); Tim Williams (guitar); Gavin Barras (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums) + Mingus Sings: Sara Oschlag (vocals); Alan Barnes (reeds); Tim Lapthorn (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); Clark Tracey (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sat 24: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 24: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sat 24: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 24: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 25: Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion: Bandstand Sessions @ The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free. A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Spanish City Plaza (outdoor stage). 1:00pm. Free. A Whitley Bay Carnival event.
Sun 25: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Catriona Bourne Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Bourne (harp), Francis Tulip (guitar), James Owston (double bass), Joe Bainbridge (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Struggle Buggy @ The Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 25: Joe Steels Group + Norma Winstone (vocals); Nikki Iles (piano); Mike Walker (guitar); Steve Watts (double bass). 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Steels (guitar); Ferg Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Susans (double bass); John Hirst (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 25: Xhosa Cole/Neil Charles/Mark Sanders @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A JNE promotion. Note: Xhosa Cole replaces Nicole Mitchell.

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

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Colin Aitchison & Friends @ Blaydon Jazz Club - July 15

Colin Aitchison (trumpet & vocals); Franco Valussi (clarinet & vocals); Steve Andrews (clarinet, tenor saxophone & baritone saxophone); Roly Veitch (guitar) & Alan Rudd (double bass) + Olive Rudd (vocals) & Neville Sarony (vocals)
(Review by Russell)
A Zez Confrey tune to open proceedings; Stumbling written in 1922 (with thanks to Steve Andrews’ encyclopedic knowledge of the composers and musicians of the era!). This Blaydon Jazz Club gig, at the Black Bull as usual, was something of a departure in being a first ever lunchtime promotion. The unavailability of the room on the preferred Sunday evening necessitated the change, and fears of a low turn out were soon allayed as regulars rolled up bolstered by a large contingent from Hong Kong.

Blaydon Jazz Club supremo Roly Veitch extended an invitation to some friends to come along and play some tunes. Now an annual occasion, Hong Kong-based Colin Aitchison and Franco Valussi duly accepted, making a visit to Blaydon a top priority during their visit. Closer to home, a short hop over the Pennines reunited Cumbria-based Steve Andrews with Veitch, and closer still, Alan Rudd, based here on Tyneside, no doubt had time for a leisurely late breakfast. From Confrey to the Duke – Just Squeeze Me. Just perfect; small group swing, a purring rhythm section, impressive front line solos. A first vocal for trumpeter Aitchison; The Lady is a Tramp with his typical good time delivery, the smiles across the audience evidence of a good time being had by all.  A Franco Valussi feature – Memories of You – confirmed the class of the Italian clarinet maestro.

’S Wonderful was, it always is. Time for our first guest of the afternoon. Olive Rudd stepped up to sing Some of These Days, excellent stuff, we’d hear more from the Maine Street Jazzmen’s singer later. Fun time…Jeepers Creepers heard Colin and Franco sharing a mic…’where’d ya get those peepers?’ as Steve Andrews switched to clarinet to show he’s a match for Signor Valussi. Neville Sarony, of the Hong Kong touring party, joined the boys on the stand to ask: Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans? Mr Sarony is a character; somewhere between a Valentino matinee idol and eloquent/elegant crooner. A ‘good value’ performer, Blaydon looks forward to the next time he’s in town. The first set closer, Oh, Lady Be Good, exemplified the afternoon’s choice material.

A choice of real ales, a decent pint of Guinness for some, a raffle generously supported by all, the interval flew by. With two master clarinetists in the house it was a fair bet that they’d have a bit of fun on a classic number and so it was Andrews and Valussi played Creole Love Call supported by . the ace string rhythm section of Messrs Veitch and Rudd. The other Rudd, vocalist Olive, made a return to the stage to give an energetic rendition of When You’re Smiling featuring Mr Rudd’s first rate bass playing. From Olive to Neville, with Andrews toting his baritone sax, Mr Sarony swore he could hear Buddy Bolden’s Blues drifting up the Tyne…yep, definitely! A sing-along Down by the River(Tyne)side engaged the audience, and a brief, unexpected interlude heard Steve Andrews in full flow reciting a poem in, as he said, a Sunderland-Gaelic accent including the line: Whoosh! Yer bugger. Aye, a class poetry reading here at the Black Bull’s literary salon! 
And so to the principal guest of the afternoon’s concert. Colin Aitchison, ever the jovial front man, on this gig he played, almost exclusively, muted trumpet. The exuberance, the joie de vivre, fine and dandy, but don’t be fooled, Aitchison is a class trumpet player. Squeezing notes, half notes, a plunger mute, the ex-pat Tynesider plays the kind of trumpet all too rarely heard these days. The vocals are always spot-on – less Louis on this session, more Aitchison – no more so than on It Don’t Mean a Thing with a two-clarinet support for good measure. A marvellous afternoon of jazz concluded with classic small combo swing – Swingin’ the Blues. Our Man in Hong Kong will return next year and when he does make sure you’re in town, you’re guaranteed to have a good time.
Photos.             
Russell.

2 comments :

Lance said...

Patti D mentioned to me, and I quote, "Oh yes, Roly sang Dear Bix at the Black Bull lunchtime session with Colin and Franco. I kind of requested it - just Roly, with guitar and bass. What a gorgeous number it is."
What a gorgeous number indeed. So sorry that I missed that.

LIz said...

love that number!

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