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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

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, October 18, 2017

And the band played on… Jazz Café Jam Session – October 17

(Review by Russell)
The Jazz Café’s jam session is rapidly approaching legendary status. The Pink Lane venue across the road from Newcastle Central Station is the place to be at eight o’clock (earlier if you want to sit down as seats are at a premium) every first and third Tuesday in the month. The house band is an A-list affair and the many sitters-in invariably bring their A-game to the party.
This October 17 renewal attracted a dizzying list of participants. The house trio – James Harrison foregoing the Caff’s upright piano in favour of his own keyboard, Paul Grainger on double bass and drummer Russ Morgan – set off on the right track with Yardbird Suite. Harrison likes to keep things moving (ideal at a jam session) and Mambo Inn did just that featuring a Russ Morgan solo followed by Harrison’s accomplished intro to everyone’s favourite tune – Secret Love.

No time to waste, bring on Mr Nick Gould! The Edinburgh-based tenor saxophonist was making an all too infrequent visit to the Caff’s jam session. Full bodied, proper tenor playing , Out of Nowhere, You Don’t Know What Love Is with sensitive piano accompaniment, then, the tune with a million or so notes – One Note Samba – with Russ Morgan’s imperious hand-drumming. Let’s cancel the jam session, play it as a quartet gig. Sorry, it was just a thought! How could anyone entertain the idea? Stupid boy! Waiting in the wings, Mr Michael Lamb, trumpet, and Mr Alex Saxon, alto sax and flute. Fresh from Sunday’s triumphant Strictly Smokin’ Big Band concert with special guest Joe Stilgoe at Hoochie Coochie, Lamb opened with Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise. Joel Brown turned up, sat in, played Moondance…doesn’t the lad have any homework to do? Saxon’s flute was made for Van’s perennial. Strictly Smokin’ tenor saxophonist Jamie Toms turned up and sat in on Beautiful Love, a treat to hear him play such assured tenor. Lamb emerged from the bop school wood shed to play a tremendous solo, Russ Morgan grabbed another himself and the man at the back Mr Paul Grainger kept J Brown on the right track.

Excuse me! How much is admission? Admission? It’s free. You’re joking, this is amazing stuff! Get the beers in!

The magic roundabout stopped. JP, John Pope, jumped off, so too guitarist Matthew Downey. The pair sat in on Well, You Needn’t. They stayed on for a couple more including Dr Billy Taylor’s How I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free, Pope soloing and Downey adding a succinct solo of his own. All change! Where do they all come from? A new line up, including a Sage contingent, played Sunny with guitarist Jamie Mackay in a groove, Inês Gonçalves sang The Girl from Ipanema and a stupendous tenor solo from Tom Dixon on Bill Evans’ Interplay threatened to steal the show.

Who played what when became all the more difficult to document as the conveyor belt delivered a few more top notch names. Dan Garel – Hooray! Paul Gowland – Hooray! DG on alto, PG on alto, and Nick Gould, tenor, returned. Modal to bop they had a blast. Solos flashed across the room like tracer bullets, none flinched. The house lights went up. More! More! James Harrison set off again, Paul Grainger cookin’, Russ Morgan killing. Way past eleven, the (naughty) boys called it a day.
The Jazz Café’s jam session (every time, take your pick) is a serious contender for gig of the year.
Russell.

James Harrison (piano), Paul Grainger (double bass) & Russ Morgan (drums) + Nick Gould (tenor saxophone), Michael Lamb (trumpet), Alex Saxon (alto saxophone & flute), Joel Brown (piano), Jamie Toms (tenor saxophone), John Pope (double bass), Matthew Downey (guitar), Murray Wankling (piano), Jamie Mackay (guitar), ? (vocals), Inês Gonçalves (vocals), Tom Dixon (tenor saxophone), Dan Garel (alto saxophone) & Paul Gowland (alto saxophone)

3 comments :

Patti said...

And after the last jam sesh review, we thought it couldn't get any better - how silly we were! My, oh what a night!

Nick Gould said...

An excellent night last night, well worth the trip down although I could have done without the extra 40 mile diversion on the way back. Good to see the place busy familiar and new faces.

Patti said...

It was great to hear Nick's booting tenor, alongside the alto saxes ....... and the Jazz Cafe jazzy guys and gals will want him to brave the A1 traffic conditions again sometime soon.

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