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Bebop Spoken There

Van Morrison: ''Basically, I'm coming from jazz. Not pop, not rock, not what's commercial. That's where I started, and that's still where I am. I feel the same as I did when I was listening to Louis Armstrong, Lead Belly, Jelly Roll Morton''. (The Northern Echo, 12 June 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

1803759 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 480 of them this year alone and, so far, 58 this month (June 18).

From This Moment On ...

JUNE 2025

Mon 23: MSK Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club (1:00pm). Free.

Tues 24: ???

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: The Magpies of Swing @ The Roxy, Leadgate, Co. Durham. 7:30pm. A Ginger Jitterbugs swing dance event, all welcome.

Thu 26: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Brass Instruments & the use of mutes.

Fri 27: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm.
Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 27: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. ‘Time After Time’.

Sat 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Linskill Centre, North Shields. 4:00-10:30pm. Free, but ticketed (over 18s only). A multi-bill, multi-genre ‘Canny Shiels - North Shields 800’ event. Three Kings Brewery on site.
Sat 28: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 28: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 29: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ Wallington, Northumberland. 12 noon-1:00pm & 2:00-3:00pm. Tel: 01670 773606. National Trust admission prices apply. ‘Tunes in the Blooms’.
Sun 29: Glenn Miller Orchestra UK @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 3:00pm. Ray McVay & co.
Sun 29: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 29: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 29: Zoë Gilby w. Ryton Choral Society @ Corbridge Middle School NE45 5HX. 5:30pm. £15.00. Gilby w jazz trio & choir. ‘An evening of jazz song for choir’.
Sun 29: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 29: John Wilson & the Sinfonia of London @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Greatest Hits’.
Sun 29: Out Front @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.

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, February 10, 2018

Jam session @ The Jazz Café - Feb 6

(Review by Russell)
Lots of new faces at the Jazz Café’s bi-monthly jam session and one or two first time sitters-in. The Pink Lane venue was as busy as ever as pianist James Harrison got things underway with A Train ably abetted by mainstay bassist Paul Grainger and drummer Russ Morgan. Harrison likes to enjoy himself as he plays and his infectious enthusiasm energised musicians and listeners alike ensuring the evening flew by. I’ll Remember April then the floor was open to all-comers.
Drummer Hazem ‘Mo’ Mohammad couldn’t wait to get started and he was joined by George Sykes on tenor to play Blue Monk, a swift Beautiful Love, and a quote-laden There Will Never be Another You. Flautist Josie Bennington – ‘That’s Josie from Haltwhistle’ said JB – joined the party on I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free and it wasn’t long before Alan Law stepped up, thus allowing house pianist Harrison to take a breather. 
Blue Bossa was right up Law’s street as Joe Shaw gave fellow drummer Mo a break. The jam session’s rotating cast of sitters-in included Paul Gowland on tenor for a change and as space was at a premium he took a seat in the stalls to play sitting down – standing or sedentary, it made no difference, the end result was the same, ie some terrific tenor playing from PG.

Guitarist Keith Barrett impressed on How High the Moon? as John Pope put in an appearance. Ah,  a chance for Paul Grainger to be freed from bass duties and he made a bee-line for the bar! Black Orpheus featured Pope, and, before long, newcomer Nifemi Osiyemi sang Ain’t Misbehavin’ and a rousing Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby? reminiscent of Julija Jacenaite. Speaking of JJ… in she walked. Well, what would she have for us this evening? All of Me and Julija gave it everything. The new faces in the audience loved it as Julija rang the very last drop from her now-familiar theatrical performance.
With the house rhythm section restored, Paul Gowland booted, Buddy Tate-style, Tangerine from pillar to post. Who’d want to would follow that? The Bold Big Band’s Jimmy Jefford wasn’t deterred as he joined an insane take on Caravan – all ten minutes of it as the clock approached eleven. So, another Jazz Café jam session, another full house, next one Tuesday 20 February, eight o’clock.
(Russell)

James Harrison (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass) & Russ Morgan (drums) + Hazem ‘Mo’ Mohammad (drums); George Sykes (tenor saxophone); Josie Bennington (flute); Paul Gowland (tenor saxophone); Alan Law (piano); Joe Shaw (drums); Keith Barrett (guitar); Nifemi Osiyemi (vocals); Julija Jacenaite (vocals); John Pope (double bass); Jimmy Jefford (tenor saxophone)         

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

Wellington? Music for a rainy Day? It’s Josie Bennington. None taken😎

Russell said...

My apologies Josie.

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