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.

Tuesday, October 03, 2017

CD Review: Jane Ira Bloom - Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson

Jane Ira Bloom (soprano sax); Dawn Clement (piano); Mark Helias (bass); Bobby Previte (drums); Deborah Rush (voice).
(Review by Lance).
Wild nights - Wild nights! 
Were I with thee 
Wild nights should be 
Our luxury! 

Futile - the winds - 
To a Heart in port - 
Done with the Compass - 
Done with the Chart! 

Rowing in Eden - 
Ah - the Sea! 
Might I but moor - tonight - 
In thee! 
Back in 2010 - 2010! was it really that long ago? Andy Champion's ACV recorded an excellent album (Fail in Wood) the title track based on a poem by Emily Dickinson. Now, Jane Ira Bloom has recorded a double album dedicated to the works of the legendary American poet who died in 1886 bequeathing to the world a legacy of poetic lyricism. To the best of my knowledge, there have been no other jazz portraits of this most enigmatic of literary ladies.
Wild Lines, inspired by the above stanzas, has the first disc instrumental and the second comprising the same compositions but with Deborah Rush adding, to a greater or lesser degree, Dickinson's words.
The words don't take away the impact of the music and neither does the music detract from the words. Truth is they complement each other beautifully.
Bloom displays the lyricism and the agility on soprano that rubber stamps her recent Down Beat Critic's Poll success.
Clement is equally effective on piano and the rhythm section's sound as a pound (actually a whole lot sounder than a pound!) Cornets of Paradise is probably the funkiest number with some parade style drumming and the common denominator between the earlier AVC album, Fail in Wood and this one  is that the title of that poem here is Other Eyes.
There are also a few electronic things going on but they don't do any harm.
To finish off, a solo version of It's Easy to Remember has nothing to do with Emily Dickinson but it's beautiful and totally appropriate
The double album is currently available on Outline.
Well worth checking out.
Lance.
PS: If you are at an Andy Champion gig check to see if he has any copies of Fail in Wood in the garage!
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