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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: ?

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Jamie McCredie @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. THIS WEEK ONLY JAMES BIRKETT (guitar)!
Fri 28: Luis Verde Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Knats @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.50. (inc bf.). Album launch gig. Support act TBC.
Fri 28: Black is the Color of My Voice @ The Gala, Durham. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, performed by Florence Odumosu.
Fri 28: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival: Musicians Unlimited @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. £10.00. (Weekend ticket £20.00., available on the door). Day 1/3. Musicians Unlimited in concert.
Fri 28: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Friday, May 04, 2018

Binker and Moses: Poetry in Motion @ Sage Gateshead - May 3

(Review by Russell)
Crossings: Newcastle Poetry Festival isn’t, at first glance, an obvious event for review by Bebop Spoken Here. The participation of the much-hyped British saxophone and drums duo Binker and Moses flagged up the prospect of some ‘jazz’ content at this year’s Newcastle Poetry Festival. In the event, their input was if not minimal then certainly limited. The Londoners were in Gateshead sharing a stage with New York-based poet Tyehimba Jess. The other half of this double bill – the second half of the evening – would feature poetry, singing and flamenco guitar.
Tyehimba Jess (readings); Binker Golding (tenor saxophone); Moses Boyd (drums)

A moody, smoky, dry ice stage set welcomed Tyehimba Jess. Standing tall, an assured character positioned behind an Apple Mac generation lectern, Jess read from his Pulitzer Prize-winning Olio collection with the tenor sax and drums element there to top and tail the American’s three-quarters of an hour performance in Sage Two. Examining and commenting upon nineteenth-century African American lives, Jess revealed the experience of slavery, emancipation and the ongoing struggle of those living today in difficult times.

Tyehimba Jess offered an insight into his working methods. A precis will prove to be inadequate – Jess writes lines which can be read from the left to the mid-way point of the line, the eye darting to the line below, the remainder of the line (to the right of the mid-way point seemingly unconnected, to be read as a separate, stand-alone line). So far, so good. But there’s more, much more to Jess’ thinking. As he demonstrated, lines, half lines, can be read from any point on the page. Start from the last line and read up, skip a line, pick up at a random point in the text, amazingly, somehow it works. Copies of Olio were on sale outside Sage Two. Unsurprisingly all copies sold. And, as and when Binker Golding and Moses Boyd were pressed into action, they did the ‘jazz’ business.
 
Fernando Valverde (readings); Juan Pinilla (singing); David Caro (flamenco guitar)

Following a short interval, poet Fernando Valverde walked onto stage alongside singer Juan Pinilla and – this would prove to be a real bonus – flamenco guitarist David Caro. Valverde recited poems from Jugar con Fuego, a Latin Grammy-nominated collaborative work with Pinilla.

As one would perhaps expect Valverde read in Spanish. A screen behind, high above projected an English translation of the text. At first, this was a welcome aide, yet, after a while, it didn’t matter that much, as Juan Pinilla’s impassioned singing stole the show. And speaking of stealing the show the brilliant flamenco guitarist David Caro just about stole the show himself, and, if he returned to Sage Gateshead to give a solo recital your Bebop Spoken Here reviewer would be first in the queue.  

An interesting and certainly very different evening’s entertainment at Sage Gateshead. 
Russell      

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