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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 2025).

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

17744 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 64 of them this year alone and, so far, 64 this month (Jan. 26).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 12 noon-2:00pm (two sets). £12.00. admission (card or cash at the door). Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums). Note change of venue, no longer at Mrs M’s as advertised, the concert will be in the Old Library (Bishop Auckland Jazz’s regular venue). Important! It’s a ‘BYOB’ arrangement - ie bring your own booze (and/or tea, coffee, soft drinks).
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Café Orkestar @ Café Under the Spire, Gateshead. 6:00pm. ‘Klezmer, Gypsy Jazz, Balkan & More!’.
Fri 31: Nothing in Rambling @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £10.00. + bf. Country blues duo.
Fri 31 Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Wylam Institute. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. + £1.50. bf.
Fri 31: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £10.00 + bf. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.
Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00 Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 31: SwanNek + Rivkala @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. SwanNek’s new single launch gig. Pilgrim, formerly Hoochie Coochie.
Fri 31: King Bees @ Blues Underground; Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.

February 2025

Sat 01: Alan Barnes & John Hallam with the Tom Kincaid Trio @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - Cy Coleman’s Witchcraft. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Darling Dollies @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Vocal trio.
Sat 01: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 01: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: Rockin’ Turner Brothers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Western swing etc.

Sun 02: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 02: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 02: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free (donations).
Sun 02: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 02: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 5:15-7:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 02: Jive Aces @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Sun 02: John Pope + Andy Champion + Ian Paterson @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. ‘Subterranean Explorations 1’. Three (half hour) solo bass sets.
Sun 02: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 03: Andy Watt & Dan Rogers @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance. Jazz, blues, folk etc.
Mon 03: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. 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

Thursday, April 05, 2018

Jazz Café Jam Session - April 3

(Review by Lance).
Easter - students have gone home, outside a mini monsoon is flooding the streets, the audience arrives in dribs and drabs, perhaps thinking that they too should have gone home. The trio start playing, it's stopped raining and folks are glad they didn't stay home.
Some have travelled from London, from Northallerton, from Edinburgh and various points in between.
I Should Care; Prelude to a Kiss; Solar. Mark was on fire! Any young hopefuls who came in with a guitar case either kept it shut or drank up and went home to practice. Not so more senior performers with flugelhorn and flute cases. Hardened veterans such as Ray Johnston and Josie Bennington opened the batting for the visitors with a spirited version of Louis Bonfa's Samba De Orfeu and Brubeck's The Duke.
First vocal of the evening came from that hoary old campaigner Dave Weisser. Green Dolphin St. supplied the setting and Dave supplied the words before Jude Murphy blew a flute solo that blew everybody to buggery. The bar stood high for a long time tonight. It would get higher...and even higher...
The Early Birds were out late with James Metcalf and Alex Thompson making good use of the jazz knowledge absorbed from musical educationalist supreme, Paul Edis, and, of course, Sage Gateshead for helping facilitate it. Should this facility cease to be, as the Chinese whispers seem to be suggesting, it would be a disaster of the first order. James and Alex, with Matt Fairhurst (another comer) gave us There Will Never be Another You and I'll Remember April, We certainly will but not quite yet.
Martin Waugh was now on piano, David Gray wielded his trombone threateningly, Jude and Dave lurked, horns at the ready, Josie and Ray were upfront, Matt and PG brought up the rear awaiting Chloe Watson to give out with At Last which she did at last.
Strident, red-blooded and soulful, the spirit of Etta James was ever present.
The spirit of Etta was replaced by the spirit of John Coltrane as Johnson and Gray took the Blue Trane.
Ben Richardson and Harry Still dug in behind Dave and Jude on Beautiful Love before Early Birds James and Alex, along with David Gray, played Oleo. Ben Richardson took the kudos on this one. His solo drawing whoops and hollers from the audience.

Game over?
Enter John James Garner, violin.
An original and then a free for all on St. Thomas. The visiting violinist held his own - even  David Gray who blew a 'bone solo to die for didn't quite catch the funky fiddler.
Sadly, it was Metro time so I missed the return of Chloe.
Another fine jam you've got me into...
Photos.
Lance.
Mark Williams (guitar); Paul Grainger (bass); Russ Morgan (drums) + Ray Johnson (flugel); Josie Bennington (flute); Dave Weisser (cornet/vocal); Jude Murphy (flute/alto); Matt Fairhurst (drums); James Metcalf (trumpet); Alex Thompson (alto); Chloe Watson (vocal); David Gray (trombone); Martin Waugh (piano); Harry Still (drums); Ben Richardson (piano); John James Garner (violin).

3 comments :

Jude Murphy (on F/b). said...

Lance, by the way, the fabulous vocalist's name is Chloë Watson :)

Chloe Watson (on F/b) said...

Aww thanks Jude xx

Lance said...

Sorry Chloe, I thought someone called you Colleen - must have been someone else!

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