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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, 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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Mark Robertson.
Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 02: Lauren Bush: The Jazz Singer’s Toolkit @ The Pele, Corbridge. 1:00-4:00pm. Vocalist Lauren Bush with pianist Jamil Sheriff presents a jazz singing workshop. £40.00. (inc. evening concert, see below). Registration required for workshop: www.laurenbushjazz.com. All ability levels welcome.
Wed 02: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 02: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 02: Lauren Bush & Jamil Sheriff @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00-9:00pm. £10.00. Concert performance. Tickets: www.laurenbushjazz.com.
Wed 02: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 02: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! See website for updates: www.theglobenewcastle.bar.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. 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

Friday, January 26, 2018

Tequila!

Today, I received a package...
You are not going to believe this! Only Scott Black, out in Hong Kong, could top this.
Let's start at the very beginning...
It's 1972 or maybe 1973 or maybe 1971. Whatever, it was around that time.
I'd blagged my way into the Newcastle Big Band as, I seem to remember, third tenor. If there had been a tenth tenor pad then that would have been my spot. My forte at the time was leading a dance band - you know the things, Hunt Balls, Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs etc. The big band occasionally got these gigs so I was handy to have around plus I could blow a chorus or two on a twelve bar.
Andy Hudson, the bandleader, said to me one Sunday morning at what was then the University Playhouse - it's now Northern Stage - "Fancy a gig in Spain?" My first thought was, "Is he trying to get rid of me? Maybe Don Rendell's back in town. 
Don Rendell had done a couple of gigs with the band - the one I remember most was in 1973 when Sunderland won the last of their many FA Cup wins.
No, the Newcastle Big Band had been invited to play at the San Sebastian Jazz Festival!
They'd played there the previous year and won an award as 'The Most Entertaining Band of the Festival' thus giving them an automatic slot in the program for the following year. In fact they'd done several tours of duty there.
We all made our way to Spain individually. Andy Hudson, Charlie Carmichael, Ronnie Young, Kevin Salmon and myself drove through France in Kevin's people carrier and there were some hilarious moments. Charlie Carmichael, who knew more jokes than Bob Monkhouse, was eventually told to shut up by Kevin as, 'driving on their side of the road' needed total concentration".  
Eventually, we stopped off for an overnight stay in France where, Andy, naturally, knew someone who had prepared a multi-course banquet for us!
I think, maybe, Andy had promised we'd play a free concert for her on our return journey - we returned by a different route!
Jackie Denton was on drums and travelling by campervan. He had everyone in stitches when he told how he'd ran out of CalorGas and asked the first person he met 'ou est las CalorGas? That was his French exhausted. The couple he asked were equally confused by his Geordie/Frangolise until it turned out that they came from Yorkshire!
Eventually, we made it to San Sebastian and we had a fantastic time. A big band from Newcastle on the same bill as the Clark Terry Big Band and other name musicians we'd worshipped all our musical lives. Drinking with the late, great pianist, Horace Parlan it was just too much.
Of course, there was a lot of drinking being done irrespective of whether Horace Parlan was there or not. Truth is, the only two words we knew in Spanish were  Kuba Libre
Myself, Charlie Carmichael, Jackie Denton, Nigel Stanger and Gordon Solomon were all partial to a taste and one day, when we didn't have a gig, I bought a bottle of Tequila in the local store.
The early morning Kubra Libres eventually took their toll and I passed out into pleasant oblivion.
Some hours later, refreshed by my siesta, I said, "Give me a shot of that Tequla." No way - they'd drank it all!

Fast forward to 2018.
The Ship Inn, Monkseaton, who should show up but Gordon Solomon complete with trombone. He said that he hadn't played for ten years but wanted a workout.
He was superb. Proving that if you've got it you've got it!
He then asked me for my address saying that he had some memorabilia he wanted to send me.
I gave him my address and guess what arrived today?
A bottle of Tequila!
Thank you Gordon, you didn't have to do this - 40 odd years later! But when I open it I will drink a toast to you and those happy memories we shared.
Lance.

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