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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

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

Sunday, April 08, 2018

GIJF Day 2: On the Concourse - Sage Gateshead, April 7


Baba: Tom Dixon (alto); Dominica Ostrega (vocal); Ines Gonçalves (piano); Alex Shipsey (bass guitar); Dylan Thompson (drums).
(Review by Lance).
The second of six scheduled free performances on the Concourse (performances one and five to be reviewed separately. Number six was, unfortunately, cancelled).
Baba may be young (as the name implies?) but, already they have made their individual presences known at jam sessions and as part of the various Sage Gateshead educational projects such as Jazz Attack and Jambone. 
Led by Tom Dixon who looked like a battle-scarred veteran in comparision to his youthful charges, blew fine alto - we never expect less from him - and the Portuguese contingent (pianist and vocalist) were worthy ambassadors. Shipsey played bass with a maturity that belied his years as did drummer Dylan of the Thompson Dynasty.
A most enjoyable half hour.

The Nordanians: Oene Geel (viola/vocal); Mark Tuinistra (guitar); Niti Ranjan Biswas (tablas).
An energetic Dutch trio enlivened the afternoon with some generated excitement that included Dutch scat singing as well as impressive guitar licks and viola solos. I say viola because that's what the blurb said but it looked and sounded to me like a violin or else it was a very small viola. So, what - it was fun!

Sunna Gunnslargh (piano). Think of Iceland and you think of Glaciers, Bjork or 2 for the price of 1 takeaway meals. Today, however, when I think of Iceland it will be Sunna Gunnslaugh that I will be thinking of. The Icelandic pianist played a most enjoyable half hour of originals plus her take on Let me Know Before You Go Go.
Nice one.
Lance.

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