Bebop Spoken There

Donovan Haffner ('Best Newcomer' 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards): ''I got into jazz the first time I picked up a saxophone!" - Jazzwise Dec 25/Jan 26

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

18146 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 24 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 7), 24

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Thu 08: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Jazz Milestones of 1976.

Fri 09: The House Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 09: Nauta @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Trio: Jacob Egglestone, Jamie Watkins, Bailey Rudd.
Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Warren James & the Lonesome Travellers @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Fri 09: The Blue Kings @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv.). All-star band.

Sat 10: Mark Toomey Quintet @ St Peter’s Church, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:30pm. £12.00. (inc. pie & peas). Tickets from: 07749 255038.

Sun 11: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Milne Glendinning Band @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 13: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. 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, February 26, 2018

Vintage River City photo.

John Carstairs Hallam sent me this vintage photo of the River City Jazzmen and would like to know more about it and the names of the musicians.
I recognise the late John Saxelby on clarinet and the current leader of the Maine Street Jazzmen, Herbie Hudson, on trombone. Can anyone complete the line-up?
Lance.
PS: I've seen the photo before, in fact it's probably on this site somewhere!

5 comments :

Dave Kerr said...

The picture you posted of the River City Jazz Band is in fact.
The Clem Avery Jazz Band. It was taken at the original New Orleans
Club in Melbourne Street now demolished. The band had a Thursday
night residency and I was a regular attendee before they moved to
the new club behind the Central Station now an Indian restaurant.
The line up in the picture is Clem Avery, trumpet, Lawrence McBriarty, trombone,
John Saxlby, clarinet, Doug Richardson, bass, Gordon Herrick, drums & Bill Walton
banjo. They played a mixture of New Orleans jazz and some King Oliver tunes.
Dave Kerr

Lance said...

Thanks for putting me right Dave. I should have recognised Billy Walton as we were both in the same cycling club around about this time - probably mid to late fifties.

Bill Walton said...

Bill Walton here, re photograph, it's not the River City it's the Clem Avery Jazzmen: left to right: John Saxlby-clt; Doug Richardson-bass; Clem Avery-tpt; Gordon Herrick-drums; Bill Walton-banjo; Laurence McBriarty-tmb.
Fancy you not recognising me, I am cut to the quick and inconsolable!
Regards
Bill (incidentally I look just the same now as on the photograph)

Carstairs said...

I'm not sure that I identified it as the River City. I recognised Clem and Lawrence, and made a guess at Dougie Richardson, but the others were before my time up here! I certainly didn't suss out the venue.

Lance said...

I'm afraid the River City idea was mine taken from one of the posters on the wall.
I'm off to Specsavers tomorrow!

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