Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18918 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 782 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 18.) 61.

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

September.

Thu 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 24: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 24: Arun Ghosh @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £21.05. (£22.00. on the door). A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 24: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 25: Mark Williams Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00.
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: Get the Blessing + Dilettante @ The Cluny (Cluny 2), Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00. + bf. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 25: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 26: Adam Fairhall & Johnny Hunter: Play Mary Lou Williams @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 26: John Pope Quintet + Urvashi @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.40. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Sun 27: Salty Dog @ The Cluny. 12:30pm (doors). Free (donations).
Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Zach Sewell-Lara Hopper Quintet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 27: Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free. RESCHEDULED to Sunday 4 October.
Sun 27: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Alex Hitchcock Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Mon 28: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: Tenderly: The Life & Times of Nat ‘King’ Cole @ Hepscott Parish Hall. 7:30pm. . £15.00., £12.00. (Early Bird advance ticket), £10.00. Off-Broadway production feat. Duane Forrest.
Tue 29: Red Kites Jazz @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ 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: Tenderly: The Life & Times of Nat ‘King’ Cole @ The Hearth, Horsley. 7:30pm. £15.00., £12.00. (Early Bird advance ticket), £10.00. Off-Broadway production feat. Duane Forrest.
Wed 30: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 30: New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds + Juliana Day & Manon McCoy + Helen Anahita Wilson @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. A BBC Introducing-Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Tuesday, July 03, 2018

CD Review: Allegra Levy - Looking at the Moon

Allegra Levy (vocal); Carmen Staaf (piano); Alex Goodman (guitar); Tim Norton (bass).
(Review by Lance).
Not an original conception. Sinatra had the same idea with Moonlight Sinatra and Mel Tormé came up with Swingin' on the Moon. Sinatra and Tormé had 4 duplications, Levy and Tormé only 2 (Blue Moon and No Moon at All) and all of Sinatra and Levy's moons were in different orbits. Given that there are 35 tracks on all 3 albums the fact that there are so few repetitions is an indication of just how many moon songs there are out there and the tide has yet to be stemmed as Ms Levy's album includes items from Cat Stephens, Neil Young and Nick Drake along with the usual suspects.
This, the third album from the sultry-voiced singer is on a par with her two previous discs and, arguably, even better.

The voice is soft and sensuous - like Blossom Dearie without the 'cuteness'. The intonation is spot-on and the almost imperceptible vibrato when she sustains a note quite breathtaking if you'll pardon the pun! Levy can also scat with the best of them without sounding contrived which is no easy matter.
It's a gentle and quite exquisite album with appropriate accompaniment. Staaf, her long-time pianist, is to the manner born - he recently served as pianist at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance in L.A. Levy warmly acknowledges the 'big time' help the Institute gave to her 'space project'.
Because of the intimacy of the music, drums were out and the 'fluid lyricism' of guitarist Goodman and bassist Norton added. Norton also assisted with the arrangements.
Delightful!
Lance.
Moon River: I Got the Sun in the Morning (and the moon at night); Harvest Moon; Blue Moon; Moon Ray; Moonlight in Vermont; Moonshadow; Moonglow; Polka Dots and Moonbeams; No Moon at All; It's Only a Paper Moon; Pink Moon; I'll be Seeing You (included because of the last line - 'I'll be looking at the moon, but I'll be seeing you'.
Released June 16 on Steeplechase SCCD 31852.
at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive