Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Francis Tulip: ''Music speaks louder than words''. (Jazzwise, June 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

17,550 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 514 of them this year alone and, so far, 92 this month (June 28).

From This Moment On ...

JULY 2025

Thu 10: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Soloists, Orchestras & Hot Fives.
Thu 10: Side Café Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 11: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church, Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00. A Bishop Auckland Jazz promotion. New venue (second Friday in the month)!
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Beehive, Earsdon NE25 0SZ. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Fiona Finden Jazz Express @ Flash House Brewery, North Shields NE30 1DS. 8:00pm. Free.

Sat 12: Jazz Stage @ Mouth of the Tyne Festival. From 12 noon. Free. Vieux Carré Jazzmen (12 noon); Rendezvous Jazz (1:00pm); Mississippi Dreamboats (2:00pm); Classic Swing (3:00pm); Abbie Finn Trio (4:00pm). Stage adjacent to Tynemouth Priory.
Sat 12: Making Music Seminar: Latin American Music v. Music of Latin America @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 1:00pm. £15.00. (£5.00. online). Jason Holcomb, Alix Shepherd & Carlos Luis Rivera.
Sat 12: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ Lovaine Community Garden, North Shields. 7:00pm (doors 6:40pm). £6.00. Limited places, booking essential (via the Community Garden website). BYOF&D.
Sat 12: Hot Club du Nord @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Hall Two.
Sat 12: Sleep Suppressor @ Repas 7 by Night, Berwick. 8:00pm.
Sat 12: Anth Purdy @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle.8:00pm. Free. ‘Swing Jazz Guitar’. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 13: Jazz Stage @ Mouth of the Tyne Festival. From 11:00am. Free. Trilogy of Four (11:00am); East Coast Jazzmen (12:10pm); Delta Prophets Trio (1:20pm); House of the Black Gardenia (2:30pm); Mouth of the Tyne All Stars (3:40pm). Stage adjacent to Tynemouth Priory.
Sun 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free. ‘The Bandstand Sessions’.
Sun 13: Julie Dexter @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:30pm (doors). £20.00. ‘The Cluny Matinee Jazz Club’.
Sun 13: ’58 Jazz Collective, Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 2:00pm. Tea Dance. SOLD OUT! A Durham Brass Festival event.
Sun 13: Ferg Kilsby @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn); Luis Verde (alto sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Hirst (drums).
Sun 13: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Sloth Racket @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club (1:00pm). Free.
Mon 14: Brass Bash @ Hardwick Park, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Mon 14: Brass Bash @ The Story, Mount Oswald, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.

Tue 15: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Sluice. Tel: 0191 237 3697. 12:30pm. ‘July Jazz Barbecue’. Tickets: £15.00.
Tue 15: Brass Bash @ Hackworth Park, Shildon, Co. Durham. 6:00-9:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Tue 15: Brass Bash @ The Witham, Barnard Castle, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Tue 15: Julian Lage Trio @ 1856 Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm . Lage (guitar); Jorge Roeder (double bass); Joey Barron (drums).
Tue 15: Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra @ The Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm.
Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Brass Bash @ Willington Town Park, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Wed 16: Brass Bash @ Market Place, Spennymoor, Co. Durham. 6:00-8:00pm. Free. Various bands. A Durham Brass Festival event.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. 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

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

CD Review: Beverley Beirne - JJWTHF*

Beverley Beirne (vocals); Sam Watts (piano); Flo Moore (bass); Ben Brown (drums/perc.); Rob Hughes (sax/flute) + Jason Miles (B3 - 2 tks); Romero Lumbambo (guitar - 1 tk); Dean Brown (guitar - 1 tk).
(Review by Lance).
Jazz and pop music have always been unlikely bedfellows and rarely compatible. Even such greats as Sinatra and Ella never sounded comfortable when dipping their toes into the more contemporary chart-infested waters. Likewise, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart and, more recently, Bob Dylan were only moderately successful at interpreting GASbook material.
Never the twain shall meet, has always been my reaction despite an increasing tendency amongst the current crop of jazz singers to tackle post-Beatle material. With the possible exception of Postmodern Jukebox, I don't think it ever quite works.
Until now that is!
Beverley Beirne has nailed it. Twelve pop-hits from the 1970s and 1980s that respond 100% to being jazzified.
Noddy Holder commented on Slade's Come (sic) On Feel The Noize: "I love the jazz version of  'Noize' and reckon it shows how a fab singer can come up with a totally different version of the song and make it work".

Prince Charming by Adam Ant. As recently as a couple of night's ago I never dreamt that AA would be mentioned in these pages but it's a great song that has completely passed me by - until now.
Bette Davis Eyes - wow! this is the one. I've listened to composer Jackie DeShannon's version and Kim Carnes' 1981 smash hit and Beverley Beirne's take is right up there with them.

There's also The Specials' Ghost Town; Deeply Dippy from Right Said Fred; When Smokey Sings by ABC; Bananarama's Cruel Summer and Robin Scott's Pop Muzik. 
Too Shy prompted Kajagoogoo's former lead singer, Limahl, to say, "It's raw, energetic and her vocal is both sassy and commanding". 
Beverley's version is also available as a single

Billy Idol's Not in the City; Waiting For a Girl Like You by Foreigner and Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun complete an album that already looks likely to take root on my player.

Of course, there's more to it than BB's wonderful vocals (including some effective scat blasts) there's also Sam Watt's piano accompaniment, his solos, and his hand in the arrangements. Gutsy tenor playing and fine fluting from Rob Hughes. Flo Moore's basswork on Shy, Ben Brown's drumming on the same number (and throughout), the guitarists in their cameo roles - and then there's Jason Miles. Jason not only produced the album, he also wrote the sleeve notes and augmented a couple of tracks from the cockpit of a Hammond B3!
Love it!
Lance.
*JJWTHF = Jazz Just Wants To Have Fun.
Thanks to Beverley and the band, jazz got its wishes and so will you come the album's release which the promotional blurb quotes as June 15 although BB's website gives the release date as May 15 (that's today!)

1 comment :

mark.beirne.smith@gmail.com said...

Thanks for the review Lance
The release date is 15th June, I have updated the web site accordingly!
Mark

Blog Archive