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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, April 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

17972 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 293 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (April 22).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

Sat 26: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Darlington. 12 noon. Free (donations).
Sat 26: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 26: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. Tickets: £12.00. + bf. Duo performance.
Sat 26: Neil Cowley Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.50.
Sat 26: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.

Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. 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

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Dun Cow Jam Session - June 13.

(Review by Lance).
It had been reported in previous dispatches that Paul Edis had taken up singing and we discovered, in the very first number, that this was true when he delivered a vocal chorus on It's Only a Paper Moon that did no harm at all. Think Mel Tormé without the tricky bits and you've got the picture.
That was the only trio track as, no sooner had Paul's dulcet tones faded than first time visitor - all the way from Germany - Ingo Torbohm, armed with tenor sax, jumped into the arena.
It's always a daunting task for anyone to be first to show at a pub jam session. The audience, still sober, are more attentive to the performer than they are later when, in some cases, conversation takes preference.
Ingo made no attempt to dazzle with bravura runs and flourishes instead, keeping it relatively straight and confidently playing within his limitations. Beautiful Love and Misty were his choices - no doubt he will be back.
Getting the right balance volume-wise is invariably a problem at the Dun Cow and Kay Usher suffered in this respect. Despite the low volume, Lady Be Good swung but Embraceable You, I think, had some confusion over the key which meant it didn't flow as fluently as we'd come to expect from this swinging lady.
No volume problems with Kate O'Neill who held the room entranced with Don't Explain and an up-tempo How High the Moon.
This was followed by a game of musical chairs with Edis going on to drums, Walker picking up bass guitar and Paul Grainger lighting up with a Lucifer. Helen Walker threatened on French horn and one half of the group known as I-Sister took centre stage. Lead vocals were by Andrea Harrison, formerly known as Hannah Jones, with support by Lisa Delarny on guitar and backing vocals.
Bewitched was indeed bewitching and Andrea gave us the whole 9 yards as written by Larry Hart unlike most singers these days who make do with the abbreviated version thus missing out the best verses (check them out).
They rounded off their short set with Aretha's Don't Play That Song.
This was also a first for me inasmuch I'd never heard French horn, live, in a small group jazz session. I was impressed by Helen Walker- she'd return later.
The ever-present Matt sent Edis back to the keyboard and Jen Errington took over the vocal spot. Jen gave us a bouncy I Only Have Eyes for You and a melancholic When Sunny Gets Blue. She sounded good but, again, the mic. should have had an extra half a turn for her to be heard clearly.
Tenor player Sykes blew All the Things You Are - a number that seems to have become the national anthem of jam sessions - followed by A Night in Tunisia. Only the chaotic ending prevented this being the best number of the night but hey, that's jam sessions for you!
As the evening drew to a close, Mo(hammed) became the fourth incumbent of the drumkit and our French horn player joined George Sykes for My Funny Valentine. French horn and tenor? great potential for an arranger...
Kate returned to sing There is no Greater Love then Kay Usher and George finished things off with Wave. At last, we heard Kay at the right volume and it was worth waiting for.
Violin and tenor? great potential for an arranger...
Lance.
Photos.
Paul Grainger (bass); Paul Edis (piano/drums/vocal); Rob Walker (drums/bass guitar) + Ingo Torbohm (tenor); Kay Usher (violin); Kate O'Neill (vocals); Andrea Harrison (vocal); Lisa Delarny(guitar/vocals); Helen Walker (French horn); Matt MacKellar (drums); Jen Errington (vocals); George Sykes (tenor); Hazem Mohammed (drums).

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