Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Mon 15: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 16: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Tue 16: A Jazzy Xmas @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Tue 16: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackosn’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. 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

Friday, August 24, 2018

Stormzy’s Glasto headliner odds tumble after Insta clue Grime artist 7/2 from 10/1 to drop Shut Up on Pyramid Stage

I'm sure that many of our readers will be interested in the ante-post odds for next year's  Glastonbury Handicap run over a testing course. The going is forecast to be heavy - Lance
(Press release by Betway)
Kendrick Lamar
6/4
Elton John
9/4
Kylie Minogue
5/2
Stormzy
7/2
Arctic Monkeys
9/2
Fleetwood Mac
9/2
ABBA
5/1
Calvin Harris
8/1
Swedish House Mafia
8/1
Jay-Z
10/1
Led Zeppelin
10/1
Taylor Swift
10/1
The Beach Boys
10/1
The Stone Roses
10/1
Eminem
14/1
The Strokes
14/1
Friday 24th August 2018 – Stormzy’s this, Stormzy’s that, Stormzy’s now just 7/2 with Betway to be a headline act! The UK grime and hip hop artist’s odds of topping the bill on any of the final three days at next year’s Glastonbury Festival have been slashed to just 7/2 from 10/1.
@stormzyofficial updated his Instagram story with a post mimicking Noel Gallagher’s quote: "No, I'm not havin hip hop at Glastonbury. F***in no chance" and the leading online bookmaker has taken measures to shorten their offering of the grime star being booked for Worthy Farm in 2019.
Kendrick Lamar, just 4/5 before the latest odds shift, has been pushed out to 6/4 but still tops the betting, ahead of 9/4-chance Elton John and 5/2-shot Kylie Minogue.
Betway’s Alan Alger said: “The smallest hint on social media can send odds plummeting these days and Stormzy’s latest post has left us receiving a wave of betting interest and we’ve had to cut his odds from 10/1 to 7/2.
 “Emily Eavis has branched out into different genre’s recently to keep Glasto fresh and Stormzy might just be the man to provide something a bit different to next year’s show."

“As things stand, the odds suggest the headliners in 2019 for Friday to Sunday will be Kendrick Lamar, 6/5, Elton John, 9/4, and Kylie Minogue at 5/2, but Stormzy is well in contention at 7/2, while the Artic Monkeys and Fleetwood Mac could add a more authentic rock feel to the festival at 9/2.”

1 comment :

Steve T said...

Kendrick is the closest thing to Jazz on offer and I wonder if Kamasi and co could resist the chance to play the biggest but naffest music festival in the world (Kamasi played the Jazz stage a year or two back).
Since the US has produced very little great hip hop in its forty years, I doubt the UK will ever manage, and whitey hasn't managed either, though Eminem has recently crept in to the top ten biggest selling acts of all time.
Elton or Abba (or Madonna) aren't 'cool' enough for the Glatonbury faithful but would actually be perfect and greatest hits sets from any of them could offer a challenge to the fabs hegemony. Kylie and Taylor Swift would be fine too.
Ironically and unbelievably the Beach Boys are 'cool' enough despite being more novelty and bubble-gum than any of them.
Arctic Monkeys, Stone Roses and Strokes are standard Glasto fayre and I'd rather roll around in mud and sh!t.
I don't think Led Zeppelin exist at the moment and would be more suited for Download, the rock/metal festival that thinks it's Zappanale but is really Glasto, just like Glasto thinks it's Download but is really the X Factor.
I believe Calvin Haaris is a current big popstar but I'll leave it until this decade becomes cool on the nostalgia trail and he becomes this, that and the other and all sorts of things he really just isn't. And I neither know nor care who SHM are but my guess is it's something to do with House Music.

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