Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,086 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 950 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Nov. 7) 20.

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

November

Sun 08: Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party @ Village Hotel, West Allotment. 12 noon. Day 3/3.
Sun 08: ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 08: Kaberry Big Band @ Forest Hall Social Club. 3:00pm. £7.00 (inc. tea & cake). Charity event for the Poppy Appeal.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 09: Bechet-Spanier Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.; £5.00. Muggsy Spanier was born 125 years ago today (9 November 1901). This afternoon’s all-star quartet - from London, Lewis Taylor (cornet) & Michael McQuaid (reeds), from Paris, Félix Hunot (guitar), from London, Harry Evans (string bass) - salutes Muggsy!
Mon 09: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Bechet-Spanier Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. Muggsy Spanier was born 125 years ago today (9 November 1901). This evening’s all-star quartet - from London, Lewis Taylor (cornet), from London, Michael McQuaid (reeds), from Paris, Félix Hunot (guitar), from London, Harry Evans (string bass) - salutes Muggsy!

Tue 10: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Becky Tuck (vocals).
Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. 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.
Wed 11: Plague Doctors Cure All + Noonward @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: JANE @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 12: MoonMot + Jack Banjo’s Snackwall @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 12: Ratio: Swingin’ Through the Decades @ The Forum, Darlington. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £10.00. A charity fundraiser.
Thu 12: Look Left @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Thu 12: Michael Woods @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Acoustic blues.

Fri 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Giles Strong (guitar); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 13: Lapwing Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Richard Herdman, Nick Bagnell, Paula Whitty.
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: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Hexham Lantern Parade, Bandstand, Sele, Hexham. 6:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Sharp Collective @ Dry Water Arts, Amble. 7:00pm.
Fri 13: East Coast Swing Band @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm.
Fri 13: Guisborough Big Band @ Saltburn Golf Club. 7:30pm. Tickets: £15.00 (inc. pie & peas

Sat 14: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. £95.00. Day 1/2. SOLD OUT!
Sat 14: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 14: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf); £11.00 concs (inc. bf).
Sat 14: Red Kites Jazz @ Staiths Café, Gateshead. 7:00pm.
Sat 14: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Tweed Gallery, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Saturday, January 06, 2018

CD Review: Various Artists - Live at the Spotted Dog.

(Review by Steve T)
Got this just before Christmas but December was still taken over by Christmas Music - not Slade, Pogues and Wizzard I should point out - but Swamp Dogg, Ojays, Houston Person, Jimmy Smith and the like.
There are some serious musicians on this and it shows. Recorded at the Spotted Dog, one of the happening places in the Nation’s Second City, it sounds like it was an uproarious night, though I'm assured the venue is no stranger to great nights of Jazz.
Many will hear the first set as big band music, and there's plenty for lovers of the sound; great blasting ensemble playing and assured soloing from the horns as they take their turns. But, as a BB philistine, I elevate this to what I consider the higher status of orchestral jazz, more akin to Duke and Gil Evans and, as the liner notes point out, to Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor.

The next couple of tracks feature the sax, bass, drums line-up which so captured my imagination when I saw JD Bloom in London last year.
Janisch is a safe pair of hands on bass and I'd buy anything he plays on. Bain on drums is inventive throughout, following O’Gallagher as he weaves his alto through two long pieces, one by Janisch and one of his own.
Jonathan Silk's Fragment mixes the brilliant trumpet playing of Percy Pursglove with a string quartet and gradually a standard jazz rhythm section. There are many precedents for this type of thing and this is up there.
Guitarist Ben Lee takes the next one with his quintet featuring organ, alto and trombone. He demonstrates a flair for composition and some unusual influences as a guitarist which I found highly intriguing; quirky but serious.
He also plays on the final track (as he does on the first three) on another fine small group offering, this time by trumpeter Sean Gibbs, which features some fine piano soloing and comping from Andy Bunting on electric.
Plenty here for lovers of big band or small group jazz and particularly anyone who appreciates the variety.
Steve T.
Release Date: January 26.
Stan Sulzmann Big Band: (sax) Stan Sulzmann, Elliot Drew, Chris Young, Helena Kay, John Fleming, Colin Mills, (trumpet) Tom Walsh, Sean Gibbs, Mike Adlington, Aaron Diaz, (trombone) Kieran Mcleod, Richard Foote, Tom Dunnett, Yusuf Narkin, (guitar) Ben Lee, (piano) David Ferris, (bass) Nick Jurd, (drums) Jonathan Silk.

(John) O'Gallagher (alto), (Andrew) Bain (drums), (Michael) Janisch (bass).

Jonathan Silk's Fragment: Percy Pursgrove (trumpet), Emily Tyrell, Beth Bellis (violin), Victoria Studwick (viola), Katy Nagle (cello), Toby Boalch (piano), Nick Jurd (bass), Jonathan Silk (drums).

Ben Lee Quintet: Ben Lee (guitar), Chris Young (alto), Richard Foote (trombone), David Ferris (organ), Euan Palmer (drums).

Sean Gibbs' Fervour: Sean Gibbs (trumpet), Ben Lee (guitar), Andy Bunting (piano), Nick Jurd (bass), Euan Palmer (drums).    


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