Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18621 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 485 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 14) 37

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

June

Tue 23: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 23: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 24: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 25: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 25: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Forgotten Ones & Any Quintets.
Thu 25: Edgar Ho Trio @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free. Brilliant alto sax, piano & double bass trio. Unmissable!
Thu 25: 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 26: Finn-Keeble Group @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9:00.
Fri 26: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 26: Clark Tracey @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. £26.00. Day 1/2.

Sat 27: OUTRI @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £13.01. 1:00-1:45pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: House of the Black Gardenia + Magpies of Swing @ The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sat 27: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 2:15-3:15pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 3:45-4:45pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Rory Ingham @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 5:30-6:30pm. £19.51. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Ingham w. Dean Stockdale, Ian Paterson, Dave McKeague.
Sat 27: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 27: Laura Jurd @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £26.00. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Sat 27: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary’s Church, Wooler. 3:00pm. £18.00., £6.00. A Wooler Arts Summer Concerts event. Tim Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: An Evening of Jazz @ St James’ Church, Copper Chare, Morpeth. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 from 01670 788869 or 01670 519923. Mid Northumberland Chorus (MD Robin Forbes, Emma Straughan, piano) w. jazz trio featuring Edgar Ho, Oscar Ho & Dave McKeague & special guest Emily Masser. Performance inc. Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass + George Shearing’s Songs & Sonnets.
Sun 28: Led Bib @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.00., £12.00. JNE.

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Perpetual Motion Machine + A.S.B.O @ The Bridge Hotel – September 10.


 PMM: Riley Stone-Lonergan & Ben Lowman (saxes); Sam Dunn & Jamie Taylor (guitars); Garry Jackson (bass); Steve Hanley (drums)
A.S.B.O: Adam Sinclair (drums); Ian ‘Dodge’ Paterson (bass); Paul Edis (Moog Bass Synth) + Graham Hardy (trumpet)
 (Review by Steve H/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).
After the heady experience of Spirit Farm the previous week it was no surprise that there was standing room only for Jazz North East’s latest offering - last Sunday night’s eclectic double bill at The Bridge.
Perpetual Motion Machine hail from Manchester and have an interesting line up which includes 2 saxes and 2 guitars. Their set comprised of a number of styles: - jazz funk, jazz rock, cinematic jazz and, for the final piece, spoken word. There was some interesting interplay between the dual guitars and saxes which kept one’s attention throughout. I imagine that would they be better heard in a livelier, stand up, venue since the music certainly had a dancy feel to it.

Earlier in the evening we saw the debut of a new band  - A.S.B.O - which is the latest project from drummer Adam Sinclair. With Paul Edis on moog synthesiser the band set out to lay down a bit of 60’s style funk. However, although rooted in this period, one piece was inspired by the indicator sequence of a current Ford Mondeo. Being familiar with the fine work of the various members of the band maybe my expectations were a little too high since I didn’t think the whole thing really worked. Maybe it will take a few more outings for them to really iron out their true groove. 
Steve H.

3 comments :

Unknown said...

Thanks for the positive comments Steve H, I was invited to try something new and so I did, I'm sorry you didn't like it. Perhaps the fact "60s funk grooves" was your nearest reference point suggest you were never going to like it.
I'll be posting some footage online so people can make up their own minds.

Each to their own!

Adam

Anonymous said...

I'd buy an album of it, and this is coming from a millenial that streams everything and never pays for recorded music. Really not sure where the 60s funk statement came from but the two youngest and coolest cats there thought the grooves were next level, and the bass duo was a really interesting setup. Also where's the shoutout to Graham Hardy?!

Steve T said...

I'm so disappointed I missed this gig but work gets in the way of life. Francis(I get into bother for FDT or no 1 son)tried to get there but wasn't up for it on his own.
Millenials are like every generation in thinking they invented everything (as opposed to Beatleboomers who did). Funk was born out of James Brown and Sly Stone in the late sixties (although there are earlier references in Jazz, blues and Black Literature) but peaked in the early seventies with P Funk and the next generation of bands taking things to a gloriously insane conclusion in the late seventies.
Of course it continues but everything, including hip hop, had been done by the end of that decade.

A word for Steve H; wherever he goes, whenever he goes, he's always the coolest person there. He's the next level to the rest of us.

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