April 2025.
Tue 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.
Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
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: 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: ???
5 comments :
I see where you are coming from, Peter, in truth I'm, more or less, on the same side of the street myself.
In the July issue of DownBeat a reader refers to the scene in Dowwnton Abbey where the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) upon hearing some jazz of the day makes this wry quip: "Are they all playing the same tune?"
The writer relates this to some contemporary jazz saying it's more a case of "Are they playing any tune at all?"
Still, as opinions soften over the years and both trad and bebop have been assimilated into the jazz mainstream (along with rock and punk and rap and hip-hop as some 'jazz festivals' would have us believe), who's not to say that the music you disliked on Sunday will not also become part of the mainstream?
It's often said that jazz should be challenging but no one as said as to why it should be.
Same street for me Lance!
Ron
I can appreciate that if you go to a Jazz performance and expect something more mainstream than improv then it's likely to be a shock. Some take to it quickly, through its often direct visceral nature, otherwise over time you can at least grow into understanding what's going on. For me, the improv we've seen at the Bridge in many recent months has been of extremely high quality - the musicianship on display individually and collectively is often outstanding.
Sunday's performance was a fine demonstration of where improv is currently at, in fact bridging the gap between a very much developed (and better supported) scene on Europe's mainland and here in the UK, which thankfully has its fair share of leading exponents who also perform worldwide, and at the Bridge!
For those who can't get something out of it but are intrigued by it, it can help to try to see it as a musical conversation and you'll soon see how the individuals and the ensemble work together, reacting to each other and effectively composing in real-time. They are more sonically focused than just following a set rhythm or a standard tune.
Those who leave a little early often have a bus to catch. But the time when Duke Ellington brought his 'Far East Suite' to the City Hall in the mid 60's left some stunned after leaving at the end of the first set only to discover the very positive reviews which followed for the entire performance. Yes, it broke new ground for Duke's band, or rather, took his audience to new rhythmic and aural destinations. It's not that improv gives Jazz a bad name - it demonstrates there are areas of music that can still be explored and developed.
Ken Drew
I went on my own to the Bridge Hotel on Sunday night.
I thought the music was fantastic and left after the second set. I had realised that it was billed as improvised music as it was advertised as such. I love songs that have loads of improvisation and some of the stuff I hear has melody, rhythm, harmony, and, in my opinion, great instrumental skills on display. There is a view that the interest in jazz generally is increasing and I feel that this sort of stuff is giving jazz a great reputation and doing it many favours
I stayed till the very end of the second set
I thought it was great. Absolutely brilliant music.
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