Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18413 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 277 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 7 ) 11,

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

April

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Zoë Gilby & Johnny Hunter @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 09: Tom Remon + Laurence Harrison @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 09: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 09: Michael Littlefield @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Blues.
Thu 09: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra w. Dan Johnson @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. £15.00. inc. bf.

Fri 10: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Joe Steels: Celebrating Wes Montgomery @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Joe Steels, Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.
Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Gambling Janes @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £10.00.
Fri 10: Jake Leg Jug Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 10: Steve White Trio @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £20.00. + bf. Soul Drum (Acid Jazz Records) album tour.

Sat 11: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £26.80.

Sun 12: Swing Social @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Admission: Donations (£5.00. - £10.00. suggested). Swing dance taster class, social dancing to Niffi Osiyemi Trio, DJs. Non dancers welcome. A Cluny-Swing Tyne event.
Sun 12: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: Trio Grand @ The White Room, Stanley. 6:30-9:30pm. £10.84.
Sun 12: SH#RP Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00.

Mon 13: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 14: Pete Tanton’s Cuban Heels @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 14: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. 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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