Bebop Spoken There

Dominick "Domo" Branch: ''Most people say drummers can't write, they're just time-keepers only beating on things. But I have a very musical brain.'' (DownBeat February, 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

18288 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 142 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 14), 42

From This Moment On ...

February

Thu 19: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: George Shearing Jazz Moments.

Fri 20: Alex Clarke w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Clarke w. Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Squabble @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:00pm. Steve Chambers (organ); Jude Murphy (double bass, vocals); Sid White (drums).
Fri 20: Jive Aces @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors).
Fri 20: Alex Clarke w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Clarke w. Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.

Sat 21: ???

Sun 22: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 22: Joe Steels Group @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. A Blue Patch album tour.
Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Harben Kay Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 23: Joe Steels Group @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. A Blue Patch album tour.
Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 24: Finn-Keeble Group @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00.
Tue 24: Liam Oliver & Shayo Oshodi @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 26: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £6.50.
Thu 26: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00 adv.
Thu 26: Mick Cantwell Band @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Blues.

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

Monday, July 23, 2018

CD Reviews: Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band - A Woman's Place & Le Donne Mangiano Zucchero

Marla Dixon (trumpet/vocals); Chloe Feoranzo (clarinet/vocals); Haruka Kikuchi (trombone/vocals); Molly Reeves (guitar/vocals); Julie Schenayder (bass); Define 'Dizzy' Incirlioglu (washboard).
(Review by Lance).
Despite my gripe in the previous post, here are a couple of CDs that are more than welcome - they're essential! Essential, that is for those who want a memento of the band's recent barnstorming tour of County Durham as part of the Durham Brass Festival and even more essential for those who didn't catch them. They'll be crying in their beer for weeks to come when they find out what they've missed.
Five girls from way down yonder in New Orleans. Correction, five musicians from New Orleans. Gender becomes irrelevant at this level - indeed at any level. As Dottie Dodgion once said re Buddy Rich in a DownBeat Blindfold Test, "He plays pretty good for a man".
Both of these two CDs are impressive with great solos from everyone including the vocals.
The music may trace back to their forebears but it's as relevant today as it was back then as was proven by the audience's response at the various outdoor venues in the Land of the Prince Bishops. These weren't, in the main, hardcore jazz fans, just somebody's neighbour or the person in front of you at the checkout or maybe standing next to you in the lineup and hoping they don't get tapped on the shoulder. The important thing is that band and audience connected.
Which is the better CD? You pays yer money and you takes your choice. Musically they're on a par and I wouldn't want to be without either. The sound seems a little brighter on A Woman's Place but not enough to sway anyone other than the most discerning of listeners.
Lance.
Click on title link to listen and buy.
  1. Traveling Blues
  2. Puttin’ It On
  3. In The Gloaming
  4. My Heart
  5. Last Kind Words Blues
  6. Skid Dat De Dat
  7. Dusty Rag
  8. Sugar Blues
  9. Charleston Mad
  10. Shake Sugaree
  11. A Woman’s Place
  12. The Love I Have For You.

  1. Washboard Wiggles
  2. Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor
  3. Shame & Scandal In The Family
  4. My Silent Love
  5. Les Oignons
  6. Empty Bed Blues
  7. Root Hog, or Die
  8. Savoy Blues
  9. Shake ‘Em Up
  10. There’s A New Moon Over My Shoulder

No comments :

Blog Archive