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

18395 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 259 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 30 ), 69

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

March

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). Free. Chicago blues.

Friday, May 18, 2018

Dom Pipkin @ The Forum, Darlington - May 17

Dom Pipkin (piano/vocal)
(Review by Lance)
The choices were multiple: Alan Barnes with the Paul Edis Trio in Fenham; the Alex Hitchcock Quintet at the Jazz Café; Dom Pipkin playing solo piano in Darlo and a few others. Tough calls all around. Alan Barnes is my favourite alto player and the Edis Trio are guaranteed to provide the perfect backdrop and much more, whilst the recent release by the Alex Hitchcock Quintet indicated that they are a band on the up and up and one to get in on the ground floor (albeit, the first floor at JC) saying "I was there!"
In the end, I opted for a drive down the A1(M)/A167 to Darlington.
Why? Well, as an indication of how frequent a visitor Alan Barnes is to the area - one of BSH's worthy constituents refers to him as "Barnsey!" (How familiar can you get?!) and I knew there would be plenty more opportunities.
I also knew that BSH would have representation at The Caff so, as I'd been mega impressed by Pipkin and his Ikos when they played Hoochie, I drove my Chevy to the Darlo Levee or, to be more precise, The Forum.
It was a wise decision.
A history of New Orleans' piano legends by a man who, if he'd been born in the French Quarter maybe 100 years earlier would have been one himself and, after tonight's showing,  he's still got time.
Jelly Roll Morton, Professor Longhair, James Booker, Fats Domino and Doctor John provided the staple fayre with Pipkin displaying his own prodigious piano technique topped with blues-drenched vocals and inter-round summaries in between pieces.
All done in an entertaining style that had the audience demanding more.
And they got it, although possibly not quite what they were expecting!
I'll be Seeing You as played by Liberace, as interpreted by James Booker, and performed by the InDOMinitable Pipkin.
It's no surprise he sold a lot of Smokin' Boogie CDs. I've heard it and reviewed it, listened to it again and loved it.
Music:
Iko Iko; Basin St. Blues; The Crave (Morton); Farewell to Storyville (from the film New Orleans); Louisiana (Percy Mayfield); Mardi Gras in New Orleans (Longhair); Whole Lotta Lovin' (Longhair/Domino); Love Affair With New Orleans (Pipkin); Blue Monday (Domino); Pixie (Booker); Junco Partner Blues (Booker); Such a Night (Dr. John); Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans? (film New Orleans); Those Old Cotton Fields Back Home and I'll be Seeing You.
Lance.
PS: During the interval, I chatted with David Pipkin who informed he was a founding member of the Safe Sextet (2018 version is at The Fox in Hexham next Tuesday, May 22) and I took some pics of Dom.
Where are they? I hear you ask.
Life's never perfect, is it? Taking my jacket off when I got home, camera fell out of my pocket and landed on the hard floor. The camera survived but the photos didn't!
Now I'm the one singin' the blues...
Sorry Dom.

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