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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

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 25, 2017

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra presents Spirit of Light composed by Tommy Smith and featuring Kurt Elling and Cappella Nova

(Press release)
Spirit of Light is a celebration in music and song that combines the sacred and the secular in an illuminating new work composed by Tommy Smith.
The celebrated jazz vocalist Kurt Elling and the ten voices of Cappella Nova will join the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra to perform this new music inspired by the seasonal iconography of the Star, Three Kings, Christmas Night, Winter Snow and the dawning of Christmas Day, and featuring settings of poetry by eminently humanitarian writers such as Liz Lochhead, Rainer Maria Rilke, Norman MacCaig, Robert Frost, Franz Wright, Jim Heynen, and St. Francis of Assisi.

Kurt Elling is a profoundly versatile American singer and a Grammy Award winner who is recognised worldwide as a leading figure in jazz. He is noted for his ability to transcend genre through his dedication to the power of song and the strength of great melody.
Cappella Nova is Scotland’s finest vocal consort, noted for its unrivalled reputation as champions of Scotland’s unique treasury of early vocal music and their dedication to original music by contemporary composers like James MacMillan and John Tavener.
Tommy Smith is a leading light in European jazz, first and foremost as one of the best saxophonists of his generation, and latterly as the founder and director of the SNJO.  He will join the orchestra for Spirit of Light as principal instrumental soloist.
The songs of Spirit of Light summon the traditional, the hymnal, the poetic and the modern for a series of memorable performances in the acoustic splendour of Scotland’s finest Cathedrals.
As we approach the turn of the year, a time for reflection and observation, Spirit of Light is the sound of hope restored and optimism renewed with strong messages of lasting peace, quiet joy and genuine understanding. We warmly welcome audiences, young and old, to share in this extraordinary choral and orchestral jazz experience.
The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra is supported by Creative Scotland

*Friday 15th December:  Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow
Saturday 16th December:  St. Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen
Sunday 17th December: St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh
World Première Performance

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