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.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

CD Review: Hailey Tuck - Junk

Hailey Tuck (vocals) + accompaniment.
(Review by Lance).
Those of us who saw Hailey Tuck with SSBB at Hoochie Coochie back in September 2016 will have fond memories of the bubbly, Parisian based, American singer and are sure to welcome this CD.
It's unmistakeably Hailey although it must be said that, in a blindfold test, the listener, unfamiliar with Ms Tuck, could be forgiven for thinking it was Madeleine Peyroux or Melody Gardot. Two singers, incidentally, that Hailey is quoted as saying that she loves.
Like so many singers, whether at local, national or international level, the repertoire here comprises mainly jazz influenced versions of contemporary pop songs which, let's face it was what Sinatra, Billie and Ella were singing in their early days. They did it well back then and Hailey does likewise here.

Thus, we get: That Don't Make It Junk (Leonard Cohen); Cry to me (Bert Berns); Cactus Tree (Joni Mitchell); Some Other Time (Leonard Bernstein); Say You Don't Mind (Colin Blunstone); Alcohol (The Kinks); I Don't Care Much (John Kander); Underwear (Pulp); Junk (Paul McCartney) plus a couple of originals by Hailey - Last in Line, My Chemical Life and one real real oldie - Trouble in Mind by Richard M. Jones. Jazz historians may recall  that Jones was the pianist to whom Joe 'King' Oliver, in an apocryphal story, turned to and said "Get in Bb" then walked to the door of the empty New Orleans saloon he was playing in and pointed his horn towards a joint on the opposite corner where rival trumpet player Freddy Keppard was drawing the crowds. Oliver put the trumpet to his lips and blew. Soon the other bar emptied and, after that, Oliver's gig was full every night. This was maybe 100 years ago and who would have guessed, least of all Jones himself, that his tune would, over the years, be recorded many times and that one of the best versions would be released by Sony Music on May 4, by a 27-year-old from Austin, Texas living in Paris!
The album may be titled Junk but take it from me - it ain't!
Lance.
PS: Neither my promo copy or the blurb that came with it, had any info re the personnel and nor could I find out anything from Google so my apologies to the tasty backing band.

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