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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, April 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

17957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 278 of them this year alone and, so far, 34 this month (April 14).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

Thu 17: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Only Six Standards.
Thu 17: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 18: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.

Fri 18: Alexia Gardner @ Fika Gallery, Oldgate, Morpeth NE61 1LT. 7:00pm. Trio (Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy).RESCHEDULED FOR JUNE 13

Fri 18: Sarah Jane Morris & Tony Remy: The Sisterhood @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £25.00.

Sat 19: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-3:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 19: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 20: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 20: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 20: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 21: Newcastle Record Fair @ Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle. 10:00am. Going in search of the Buddy Bolden cylinder…
Mon 21: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.

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

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Paul Edis Trio @ The Jazz Café - Jan 12

Paul Edis (piano), Paul Susans (double bass) & Matthew MacKellar (drums)
(Review by Russell/Photo courtesy of Mike Tilley)
At short notice, drummer Matthew MacKellar stepped in to replace an ailing Rob Walker. Triptych would return at a later date with this evening’s concert rebranded as the ‘Paul Edis Trio’. The two Pauls – Edis, piano, Susans, double bass – switched their attention from the original composition project that is Triptych to the standards repertoire associated with the classic jazz piano trio.

Right on time Edis, Susans and MacKellar opened with Harold Arlen’s It’s Only a Paper Moon. As pianist Edis explained this evening’s two sets would take a look at the work of some of the all-time great jazz pianists. Opening with the great and influential Nat ‘King’ Cole was a good way to begin. The standard set, the trio played Moten Swing from Oscar Peterson’s Night Train album with Edis noting that the great Canadian pianist was more than a little impressed on first hearing Art Tatum. To the disappointment of the comfortably full upstairs room at the Jazz Café, our pianist chose not to play some Art Tatum – maybe next time!

As Edis introduced Bill Evans a phone bleeped. Disgracefully the culprit was none other than your correspondent. Quick as a flash Edis said: I hope that will be in the review! In mitigation, the bleep occurred due to a communication from BSH’s Editor in Chief making arrangements for a future gig review. There’s no rest for the wicked. The Evans’ number – My Romance – included Edis’ fleeting quote from Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely? and a fine solo from our fine depping drummer, Matt MacKellar.

Paul Edis the composer peppered the set including Snakes and Ladders followed by Horace Silver. Our pianist observed that The Preacher bore similarity to The Bare Necessities. How true! So, from now on, Horace Silver will be seen and heard through the prism of The Jungle Book! To close out a fine first set a familiar 7/8 hand clap introduced Brubeck’s Unsquare Dance. Terrific!

A good number of music students turned up, and, encouragingly, stayed on, they were there for the duration. Edis’ Whiskers resumed matters with ‘blistering’ best describing the trio’s searing pace as Matt MacKellar knocked out another tremendous solo. Lullaby of Birdland, Bill Evans’ Very Early, a Paul Edis composition – The Long Way Round – sounding, to your correspondent’s untutored ear,  not unlike George Benson’s This Masquerade (what say Dr Edis?), and Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life in the style of Phineas Newborn Jnr. A hugely entertaining, varied set list, Edis and Susans have a working knowledge of the numbers in the pad (bassist Susans, centrally positioned between piano and drums, undemonstrative yet demonstrably an A-lister) and the young man of the trio, drummer Matt MacKellar, knew most, if not all, of the charts in front of him, handling matters with ease, using brushes as and when required with a preparedness to take command and kick it along on uptempo numbers. Two Thelonius Monk compositions concluded matters, in so doing illustrating MacKellar’s versatility; Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-are and the encore, a fabulous take on Rhythm-a-ning.

The Jazz Café’s first jam session of the year (Tuesday 16) just happens to feature pianist Edis and drummer MacKellar alongside the house trio’s main man, bassist Paul Grainger. Tomorrow Sunday at Darlington’s Quakerhouse MacKellar appears once again with the Francis Tulip Quartet. Oh yes!  
Russell    

2 comments :

Patti said...

Another jazzily excellent night at our very own Jazz Cafe - a welcome return after the Christmas and New Year hiatus. Just as Russell says ....... anyway, I've been pondering on the question of similarities between The Preacher and Bare Necessities. First, Horace Silver's was written about 1955 - and the Disney film didn't come out until the mid 1960's. To add an extra, The Preacher also sounds a bit like Show Me The Way To Go Home - this non musician, but keen jazz listener thinks. Any other views?

Lance said...

Show Me The Way To Go Home is the generally accepted source of The Preacher although Bare Necessities does seem to have a similar progression.

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