Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

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

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Lickety Split @ The Globe. The Jazz Coop Christmas Party, December 17

Eddie Bellis (trombone, introductions); Kevin Eland (trumpet, flugelhorn); Paul Gowland (tenor sax); Alan Marshall (alto sax); Jeremy McMurray (keys); Bradley Johnston (guitar); John Pope (bass); Sid Wight (drums).
(Review by Ann Alex) 
And here was I thinking that Lickety Split was an ice lolly! It was the first time I’d seen this band and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. They gave an excellent performance, a lively, skilled front line with the precision of a big band, and the engine room behind giving their all. Not just the main tune then solos all round, but much more interesting arrangements with instruments chipping in variously. What tunes did they play? My notes are lacking in this department as I was selling raffle tickets and counting money as well, so I asked the band for a set list. This is jazz folks, so guess what, the list didn’t quite tally with what I heard, but the show was too good to be worrying about such trivialities.
Christmas numbers were included, (not mentioned on the list); we had O Christmas Tree (I know this as The Red Flag, but I refrained from singing it); Silent Night was well improvised and quite loud; The ever popular White Christmas;  and the evening was well rounded off with Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, with the horns in wonderful harmony. In between came Wayne Shorter’s One By One; Mambo Influenciado ; Soul Leo; New Religion; a very spirited Straight No Chaser ( Paul gave a superb solo on sax, a rather slidey run through of the chords, then what sounded like the same chords but much, much faster); then Sister Sadie, with every instrument chipping in.

Other tunes which I believe were played included Stolen Moments; Doxy; Nica’s Dream; Four; Lift Off; Sandu; Dolphin Dance; I Remember Clifford. I’m not able to say more about the performance as I was involved in other duties, so I must see this band again. I’m not sure how I’ve missed them so far. Eddie told us that the band had been together for many years and this was their 10th birthday.  
This was, of course, the Globe Christmas party, with lots of food and 12 Cds for the raffle prizes. The Cds had been kindly donated by Dave Weisser, with the raffle money going to the Globe funds. The party began at 6pm with the Globe Jam house bands conducting proceedings and the downstairs bar was full. The bands did a great job of getting us in the groove ready for  Lickety Split. They were:-
Stu Finden (tenor sax) Fiona Finden (soprano sax) Dave Weisser (cornet); Jude Murphy ( flute, sax); Keith Barrett (guitar). Sorry, I can’t remember the full names of the 2 drummers or the bass player. I do remember that a good time was had by all. The metro called me home before the end of the evening, so it could still be going on for all I know.
Ann Alex

1 comment :

Kev said...

I don't know what Ann was listening to but silent night is a gentle Bossa but then the drums were loud all the way through.

Kev Eland

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