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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, April 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

17957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 278 of them this year alone and, so far, 34 this month (April 14).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Sun 20: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 20: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 20: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 21: Newcastle Record Fair @ Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle. 10:00am. Going in search of the Buddy Bolden cylinder…
Mon 21: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

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.

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

Saturday, September 29, 2018

An Ode to BSH by Ann Alex

Music goes where words can’t go
And jazz goes even further.
BSH goes everywhere
Nothing is a bother.

By car, cab or metro-train,
In lightning, thunder or in rain,
We’re the gig invaders
Our chariot, the 27 Crusader.

I’m told to go and hear a band
No matter what else I have planned
And if they’re bad I daren’t say
Bad is what’s meant when we say it’s okay.

A work in progress they can be
Which means they may get better
Or, in their own inimitable way,
Which means they won’t get better.

But if the band is up for the gig
Here in the northeast
I’ll write, ’of thee I dig’
And on the music I will feast.
-----

Nice Work If You Can Get It

We get paid in CDs and promises
Lance says there’ll be more to come
Does he think us doubting Thomas’
Are really that xxxxxxx dumb?

Ten percent rise he says
Smiling and tipping his hat
But ten percent of nothing
Won’t pay the mortgage on my flat.
-----

What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?

Gig reviews must come the very next day
CDs not much later
If I dared to take a holiday
I’d be branded as a traitor.

Come Stormy Weather, Rain Or Shine
Or midst the Leaves of Autumn
Just don’t mention Summertime
It could lead to your post-mortem.
-----  
Oh Lady Be Good

So here’s to all at Bebop Spoken Here
With water, wine and hand-pulled beer.
To Lance, Russell and the Steves - H and T
Debra and Jerry and Hugh and Me.

To comments from Patti and Liz of York
And, of course, Ken Drew.
His pictures paint a 1000 words
Or more, to give him his due.

And not forgetting Tony Eales
He’s indirectly quoted
From the Wear down to the Tees
He rarely goes unnoticed.

There’s Dave B and JC
And Colin in Hong Kong.
Warren at Hoochie Coochie
Now don’t get me wrong.

We must also toast the players
Them that verily doth blow
The singers and the swingers
Who put on the evening’s show.

They are the ones who deserve to be heard
Aspiring to be Ella, Trane or Bird
Without them, we, the bloggers,
Would surely be lost for words.

We’re always looking for people
To write about the jazz
And if you don’t want to…
Well You Needn’t!

Ann Alex (with additional poetic licence from Lance).

(Ann and I have had a literary relationship going back many years to when I joined a writers' group where Ann was a prominent member and coordinator - dotting my I’s and crossing my t’s as required – something Russell does now. – Lance) 

3 comments :

Patti said...

Ann - this is a wonderful tribute to BSH, and Lance ......

Liz said...

Wow Ann, that is genius, well done!

Anonymous said...

Thank you Liz and Patti, you've both commented, as it says in the poem! Lance is being modest about his contribution, which was a lot, although I did the 1st draft and used the song titles. I thought it was a good time to write this poem just when we're nominated for an award. Ann

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