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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17733 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 53 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Jan. 20).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Fri 24: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Lindisfarne Social Club, Wallsend. 9:00pm. Admission: TBC. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.

Sat 25: Boys of Brass @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 25: New '58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson's Wharf, Hartlepool. 6:30pm (doors). Free. A Burns' Night event. Jazz, swing, funk, soul, blues etc.
Sat 25: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Parish Hall, St Barnabas’ Church, Rowlands Gill. 7:30pm. £10.00. BYOB (tea & coffee available), raffle. Proceeds to St Barnabas’ Church. Performance feat. Shayo (vocals).
Sat 25: Jack & Jay’s Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Graham Hardy Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 26: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:30pm. Free.
Sun 26: Gratkowski, Tramontana, Beresford, Affifi @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

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

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Jam session @ The Jazz Café - July 18

(Review by Russell)
A jam session debut for Stuart Collingwood. Been there, done that, has Stuart, so this jam session held no fears. Ain’t Misbehavin’ (true, he wasn’t), A Foggy Day (anything but), Come Rain or Come Shine, proper piano playing, likewise bass and drums courtesy of Paul Grainger and Russ Morgan.   The evening’s ‘guests’ as Collingwood called them – the sitters-in – were rather thin on the ground, at least initially.
One such sitter-in who clocked-on early was Newton Aycliffe-based drummer Abbie Finn. On hearing the news that Ms Finn was in the house, one of the house rhythm section said: Oh, good! Finn played a few numbers, stood down, to return later. First Russ Morgan then Abbie Finn, a frighteningly high standard had been set. A glance around the room…Where had all this lot come from? Suddenly a thinly populated Jazz Café was now heaving. Why settle for two fabulous drummers when you can have four? The Matts had arrived.
First up M MacKellar. And, long time no see pianist Vince Webb gave Collingwood the chance to get to the bar as the ever-changing stand welcomed John Pope. A few tunes later – including But Not for Me – M MacKellar vacated the drum chair for M Fairhurst. A young man of (very) few words, Matt F is soon to depart for university. A mainstay of Dave Weisser and co at the Globe, he’ll be a big loss. On this session he got on board The A Train and knocked out a classy solo on The Sidewinder which, by this time, featured the one and only David Gray. A trombone player who plays with commitment and verve, Gray is made for a jam session*.

At some point – the timeline somewhat vague with the profusion of talent on show – our four young guns took over…James Metcalf, trumpet, Ben Lawrence, piano, Michael Dunlop, double bass, and Matt Mackellar, drums. Metcalf didn’t shirk, opting to take on Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage. An impressive shot at a fiendishly difficult tune, Metcalf is getting there. Pianist Ben Lawrence, a sixth former, has all the makings, is he going to go to music school? Bassist Michael Dunlop is a year or two ahead of him, at the Guildhall, no less, and drummer Matt MacKellar’s immediate future (USA here he comes!) has been well documented. The median age of jam session participants seems to be getting lower and lower and it’s thanks to the likes of these lads.

JJ Johnson’s In Walked Horace shuffled the pack again. Collingwood returned, so too Abbie Finn, and, waiting in the wings (waiting at the bar, to be precise!), Ms Julija Jaicenaite. JJ wrung Cry Me a River dry, accompanied by Ms Faye MacCalman, tenor saxophone, and another Guildhall under graduate, the explosive trumpeter Jack ‘Banjo’ Courtney. Julija (JJ) went for One Note Samba and Collingwood played lots of them. To close an over-running night (the best nights do) we set off on a dizzying Caravan.

* Another top trombone player (Mr BC) was in the house. If he brings his trombone on 1 August…                        
Note the date of the final jam session of the summer – Tuesday 1 August.      
Russell

Stuart Collingwood (piano), Paul Grainger (double bass) & Russ Morgan (drums) + more or less in order of appearance: Abbie Finn (drums), Matt MacKellar (drums), Vince Webb (piano), Matt Fairhurst (drums), John Pope (double bass), David Gray (trombone), Faye MacCalman (tenor saxophone), Ben Lawrence (piano), Michael Dunlop (double bass), James Metcalf (trumpet), Julija Jaicenaite (vocals) & Jack ‘Banjo’ Courtney (trumpet)   

1 comment :

Steve T said...

Sadly (for us) Ben's been torn between music and maths but, being something of a mathematical genius, looks like he's going to opt for the latter, and who can blame him when he can play Jazz on evenings and weekends, and (hopefully) earn a fortune mon to fri.

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