Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18918 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 782 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 18.) 61.

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

September.

Sun 20: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 20: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.

Mon 21: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 21: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. Coltrane centenary.

Tue 22: ???

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A John Coltrane Centenary Concert (b. 23. 09. 1926). SOLD OUT!
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 24: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 24: Arun Ghosh @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £21.05. (£22.00. on the door). A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 24: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 25: Mark Williams Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Get the Blessing + Dilettante @ The Cluny (Cluny 2), Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00. + bf. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 25: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 26: Adam Fairhall & Johnny Hunter: Play Mary Lou Williams @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 26: John Pope Quintet + Urvashi @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.40. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Friday, March 23, 2018

MGB: The Milne Glendinning Band @ The Globe - March 22

Debra Milne (vocal/lyricist); Steve Glendinning (guitar/composer); Katy Trigger (bass guitar); Nik Alevroyiannis (drums).
(Review by Lance/photo courtesy of Ken Drew).
A program of, in the main, original compositions. Words by D.Milne, music by B.Golson, S.Glendinning, B.Johnston and A.Glen.
During the course of the evening, Debra supplied her own words to Benny Golson's Killer Joe as well as pieces closer to home such as Alan Glen's Easy Go, a couple by guitarist Bradley Johnston and several by Steve Glendinning who played some stellar solos during the course of the gig.
Intriguing titles: The Pick-Up, which wasn't about a truck, Too Busy For Thinking, Soul Mate, Blame Game, Man in a Room, Stay, Don't Come Back Here Anymore, Most People, a song about voters and politicians that our girl wrote the day after Trump got the keys to the White House and Show me the Man.
I'm not sure which were Bradley's compositions and which were Steve's but words and music gelled nicely on all of them.
Perhaps the most interesting song of all was one which Debra wrote whilst on a songwriting course at the WEA - The Bridge Song. Nothing to do with Sonny Rollins and his 3-year sabbatical practicing on the Williamsburg Bridge, but to do with the building of the Tyne Bridge which took place from 1925 to 1928. A folksy song with a catchy hook worthy of becoming a Geordie standard in years to come - It would slot nicely into Roly Veitch's Geordie Songbook.
There were also a couple of standards - Corcovado and Four. The latter piece closed the session and had voice and guitar playing the head in unison - very effective.
Katy Trigger only took one solo, we'd have liked more; her pivotal support held the whole thing together. On drums, Nik impressed with his solo in the first set and excelled in the final round of fours on Four in the finale.
Debra was, well Debra. If she seemed a little restrained on the opening Killer Joe, that restraint disappeared as the four individual components became one and her distinctive style asserted itself.
Enjoyable evening.
Lance.

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