Bebop Spoken There

Jools Holland (on his 2026 spring/summer tour): ''With the mighty [R&B] Orchestra, our wonderful boogie woogie singers, and the brilliant Joe Webb opening the shows [including Darlington Hippodrome, June 19], we're in for some very special evenings of music.'' The Northern Echo February 5, 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

18263 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 117 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 6), 17

From This Moment On ...

February

Sat 07: The Big Easy @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. St Thomas & Bésame Mucho. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Side Cafe Oᴙkestar @ Café Under the Spire, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Table reservations: 0191 477 3970.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Swing Tyne @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Donations. Swing dance taster class (12:30pm) + Hot Club de Heaton (live performance). Non dancers welcome.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 09: Mark Williams Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington.. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 12: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 13: Noel Dennis Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00. Dennis (trumpet, flugelhorn); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 13: Joe Steels @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 13: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm.
Fri 13: Tom Remon & John Moriarty @ The Ship Isis, Silksworth Row, Sunderland SR1 3QJ. 7:00pm. £10.00 + £1.00 bf.

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, July 26, 2018

The Desert Queen, a play by David Farn @ Washington Arts Centre - July 26.

Phillippa Wilson (Gertrude Bell); Brian Londsdale (various roles).
(Review by Lance)
I know, I know, not exactly material for a jazz blog but, the pace of the story, the injections of humour and pathos, have all the ingredients of an Ellington suite.
Amazingly, I'd never heard of Gertrude Bell until, maybe, 10 years ago. At school, we learned of such fearless females as Florence Nightingale and Grace Darling but, despite being born about 5 miles away in Washington, Co. Durham, ne'er a word about Gertrude Bell - arguably, one of the most influential women ever.
Tonight's play by David Farn, attempts to redress the balance and I'm sure that anyone who witnesses the show - there's another 9 performances in the region between now and August 6 - will come away fascinated by her story.
Phillippa Wilson portrays Gertrude exactly as I felt she should be portrayed. A woman in a man's world who rushed in where 'the stronger sex' feared to tread. Intelligent, multi-lingual, able to mingle with and enjoy the respect of, even unite, the various tribes of the Arab world.
A woman unfulfilled. A woman whose 3 big love affairs ended in tragedy. A woman whose greatest love was Persia and Arabia. A woman who stabilised warring tribes. A peacemaker. A kingmaker.
I fell in love with Gertrude, even though she died in 1926, after reading Georgina Howell's book, Gertrude Bell - Queen of the Desert. This production keeps the flame burning.
Wilson's co-star, Brian Londsdale, plays everybody who played a part in Gertrude Bell's life and, in doing so, adds a welcome touch of humour.
As I reminded myself at the beginning this is a jazz blog and the thought has just occurred to me that her story is tailormade for a jazz suite.
Composers, check it out and start writing.
In an earlier post, Russell previews the Francis Tulip Quartet's lunchtime gig tomorrow (Friday July 27) at the Lit and Phil. Well, would you believe it? The Desert Queen is being performed at the L&P tomorrow evening and again on Saturday afternoon and evening (July 28)!
See poster below for venues and times.
Lance



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