Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 2026)

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

18402 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 266 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 31 ), 76

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

From This Moment On

April

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 07: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums).

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Zoë Gilby & Johnny Hunter @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 09: Tom Remon + Laurence Harrison @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 09: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 09: Michael Littlefield @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Blues.
Thu 09: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra w. Dan Johnson @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. £15.00. inc. bf.

Fri 10: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Joe Steels: Celebrating Wes Montgomery @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Joe Steels, Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.
Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Gambling Janes @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £10.00.
Fri 10: Jake Leg Jug Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 10: Steve White Trio @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £20.00. + bf. Soul Drum (Acid Jazz Records) album tour.

Sat 11: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £26.80.

Sun 12: Swing Social @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Admission: Donations (£5.00. - £10.00. suggested). Swing dance taster class, social dancing to Niffi Osiyemi Trio, DJs. Non dancers welcome. A Cluny-Swing Tyne event.
Sun 12: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: Trio Grand @ The White Room, Stanley. 6:30-9:30pm. £10.84.
Sun 12: SH#RP Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00.

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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