Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: '' A Love Supreme coincided with my search for meaning in life". (DownBeat, March 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

17873 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 194 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (March 14).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Laurence Harrison, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.
Tue 18: Phil Bancroft’s Beautiful Storm @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £13.20 & £11.00.. A JNE-Gem Arts co-promotion.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Nicknames.
Thu 20: Terri Green Experience @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.90.
Thu 20: Lindsay Hannon Trio @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Hannon’s ‘Tom Waits for No Man’ set.
Thu 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 21: Paul Skerritt @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 21: Giles Strong Quartet @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Fri 21: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Featuring special guest Martin Litton (piano).

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Swamp Stomp String Band @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Sat 22: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: The Great Deceivers @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Tom Atkinson & co play King Crimson (1969-1974). Atkinson (guitar); Josh Bentham (alto sax); Stu Dawson (bass); Jeff Armstrong (drums).

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

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

Monday, January 15, 2018

Francis Tulip Quartet @ The Quakerhouse, Darlington - Jan 14

Francis Tulip (guitar), Joel Brown (keyboards), Michael Dunlop (bass) & Matthew MacKellar (drums) + Dan Garel (alto saxophone)
(Review by Russell).
Darlington Jazz Club’s first concert promotion of the year featured a young quartet playing a fourth and final date of a tour across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and here at the Quakerhouse pub in County Durham. The Francis Tulip Quartet was about to go into abeyance as the musicians set off on their travels once again to Birmingham, London, Boston, USA and downtown Whitley Bay.
The Quakerhouse was as full as it gets for this eagerly anticipated appearance by the new kids on the block and the audience wasn’t to be disappointed. Benny Golson’s Stablemates, guitarist Gilad Hekselman’s Purim, a familiar looking setlist, the quartet, with bassist Michael Dunlop travelling up from London to play the gig, was in the groove from the off. And as if it couldn’t get any better, Dan Garel would join the band to play a couple of numbers!
Alto saxophonist Dan, in his final year of study at Durham University, is a stand out musician on the local scene (Group Theory, Durham University Big Band, Empty Shop jam session organiser and a frequent participant at the Jazz Café’s jam session in Newcastle), and his presence made this an ‘I was there’ occasion. And they played two all-time great standards - Body and Soul and Stella by Starlight. If they’d packed up there and then it would have been worth making the trip.

Francis Tulip sustained remarkably mature guitar playing throughout the two sets and another term at Birmingham Conservatoire will, likely as not, produce further wonders. As bandleader, Tulip took responsibility for making the usual announcements, and the quartet closed the first set with all four musicians contributing blazing solos on Caravan segueing into 500 Miles High.

As the second set was about to start pianist Joel Brown and bassist Michael Dunlop were nowhere to be seen. Francis Tulip filled the void playing a few bars of All the Things You Are. Cue applause. As Brown and Dunlop returned to the stand Matt MacKellar counted in Yes or No. Wayne Shorter’s number has featured on all tour dates yielding brilliant individual and group musicianship and here at the Quakerhouse it wasn’t any different. Other bands with more miles on the clock would be only too proud to match this standard. More from New York guitar wiz Gilad Hekselman as Tulip and co played March of the Sad Ones. The lads would appear to like playing the number, and why not?

Black Narcissus produced sensitive playing all round, In Walked Bud took a funk turn with Michael Dunlop’s five-string bass playing confirming a real talent as drummer Matt MacKellar had some fun on an exchange of fours. On his recent flight home from Boston Matt whiled away time transcribing Christian McBride’s Interlude for the band. Time well spent! Some seriously good playing by all four. The Francis Tulip Quartet’s now familiar finale – John Coltrane’s Impressions – featured the return of Dan Garel on alto as Dunlop and Brown struck up a most musical bass and piano conversation before bandleader Tulip assumed command taking it out. The applause said it all.    
Russell.    

                         

No comments :

Blog Archive