Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

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, July 03, 2017

From Buenos Aires to Newcastle - The Sotavento Big Band

(Press release)
Sunday July 9. The Globe Jazz Bar, 11 Railway St., Newcastle NE4 7AD. 8pm. £10.
The orchestra shared the stage with numerous groups of high professional level of Argentina and Europe and became one of the most active Big Band at the Buenos Aires jazz scene. Between 14 and 31 August 2015 the orchestra made his first European Tour and in July 2017 the orchestra will make his second tour of Europe.
This Big Band has the distinction of having replaced the trombones and trumpets by saxophones, giving a very warm sound.
Sotavento Big Band appeared in the most diverse national and international stages: the band performed at Jazz Festivals Pinamar, Villa Gesell, San Miguel del Monte and the subway Jazz Festival. It also played in Notorious, Jazz Voyeur Club (Hotel Meliá) and different events in the major hotels of Buenos Aires and the Atlantic coast. Between April and September 2014 the orchestra performed a weekly cycle Jazz at Cafe Concert Theatre The Cube. In 2015 he participated in the cycle “Jazz Room” in the Francisco Urondo Cultural Center of the Faculty of Philosophy at the UBA and cycle “Jazz and Architecture” organized by the Central Society of Architects. During 2016, Sotavento Big Band performed more than 20 shows.
The first European Tour was declared of “Special Cultural Interest” by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Argentina. The tour included Switzerland, France, Italy and Serbia. Sotavento Big Band was invited to perform on the main stage of “Nišville International Jazz Festival” in Serbia, one of the 10 most important festivals of Jazz in Europe and offered shows in various theatres and jazz clubs in France, Italy and Switzerland.

During the European tour, Sotavento Big Band recreated the classic big bands jazz standards of the swing era, such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie, among others. The
repertoire presented in Europe also included songs of Tango and Folklore - Astor Piazzolla especially- with arrangements made especially for the orchestra who had a remarkable public response. For example, Serbian media said it was “the first time he heard in Serbia tango in a format of Big Band”. In total, the tour lasted 20 days when the orchestra traveled more than 6,000 kilometres and performed 18 shows.

The band recorded two albums: “Sotavento Big Band” and “10 Years”. The first CD was presented at the ND Ateneo, being in the history of theatre the first jazz group to do two sold out functions. Something similar happened in 2013 with the presentation of the second disc held in The Hidden Club of Buenos Aires. The repertoire presented in the European tour will be reflected in their 3rd CD that the band will start recording in 2016.

The orchestra members are Andrés Veltri, Sergio Cisneros, Florencia Crnko, Horacio Baldassarre, Fernando Castel, Duilio Giri, Miguel Bensadon, Sergio Risoli, Fernando
Crespo, Enrique Gallo Calderon, Ezequiel Angeleri, Cristian Cor, Patricia Leguizamon and Gustavo Firmenich, director
and tango and jazz musician with a great career both nationally and internationally. Saxophonist and clarinetist Gustavo Firmenich also led his own group Tango Jazz Quartet which has already been six international tours throughout Europe, the USA, South Africa, China and Hong Kong over a period of six years.

Tickets £10 on the door or online

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