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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 2024).

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

17630 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 904 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (Dec. 20).

From This Moment On ...

December

Wed 25: Wot? No jazz!

Thu 26: The Boneshakers @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. The 17th annual Boneshakers’ Shindig.

Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Business as usual!.
Fri 27: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 27: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sat 28: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 11:30am. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 28: Fri 20: Castillo Nuevo @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 28: Jude Murphy, Rich Herdman & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 28: Ray Stubbs R & B All-Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Stepney Bank, Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sun 29: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 29: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 30: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.

Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Lapwing Trio @ Wallington (National Trust), Cambo, Morpeth NE61 4AR. 12 noon & 2:00pm. Admission to site £19.00.
Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Archie Brown & Friends @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00-8:00pm. 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

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Jazz Café Jam Session - Sept. 11

(Review by Lance).
The fortnightly Jazz Café jam returned and with it, jammers old and new. As per the norm, the house trio got the ball rolling. Alan Law, this week's pianist, set the bar with a solo on Bye Bye Blackbird that was just sensational. If I'd have left there and then I'd have still had a good evening. As it was, although nothing quite topped that, there were several who came close.
It was a pleasant surprise to have a return visit from Polish Australian (or is it Australian Pole?) Podstowek. The genial, multi-instrumentalist was last here in November 2015 when, as well as playing drums and blowing melodica, he also sang - quite a character.

Neville Hartley is now a regular and Indian Summer and Autumn Leaves added a seasonal flavour - next time Winter Wonderland? David Marsh, up from Oxford, blew flugel on There Will Never Be Another You and later played piano. The frontline of Marsh, Jamie Toms and Marek really blew up the proverbial storm.

As always, the vocal dept. was well stocked with Kate O'Neill surprisingly - and effectively - relatively restrained on Solitude followed by You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman. Less restrained was Niffi on I'm Beginning to See the Light and Get Happy - we did! Chloe Watson returned after some months' absence and reprised At Last à la Etta. Poppy, a newcomer to the scene played flute and sang on Corcovado as well as singing I Will Wait For You. A work in progress at present, it will be interesting to chart her development.

As well as Marek on drums (photo by Russell) we also had Mo and, of course, this week's resident stickman  Tim Johnston. There's never a shortage of drummers but bass players are at a premium so Paul Grainger's fingertips must have welcomed the arrival of Steve Brown and his Africa-bound son Joel.  

Paul, whose newly cropped hair makes him look more like Chubby Jackson than ever, handed over the big bass viol to Brown senior whilst Brown junior took over on piano to remind us of how much he will be missed when he goes, I presume, in search of Dr. Livingstone.
I've mentioned Jamie Toms who knocked everyone out with some ultra cool modern tenor playing but, prior to Jamie, John Rowland also blew impressive tenor on Cottontail and Moanin'. Two different stylists but both swingers.
As ever, I had to leave before the final push so my apologies if I've missed anything or anyone out.
Lance.
Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (bass); Tim Johnston (drums) + Neville Hartley (trombone); Marek Podstowek (drums/melodica); Kate O'Neill, Niffi Osiyemi, Chloe Watson (vocals); Poppy ? (vocals & flute); David Marsh (flugel/piano);  John Rowland, Jamie Toms (tenor); Hazem Mohammed (drums); Joel Brown (piano); Steve Brown (bass).

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