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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: ?

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Jamie McCredie @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Fri 28: Luis Verde Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Knats @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.50. (inc bf.). Album launch gig. Support act TBC.
Fri 28: Black is the Color of My Voice @ The Gala, Durham. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, performed by Florence Odumosu.
Fri 28: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival: Musicians Unlimited @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. £10.00. (Weekend ticket £20.00., available on the door). Day 1/3. Musicians Unlimited in concert.
Fri 28: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 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

Monday, November 05, 2018

CD Review: Sarathy Korwar and the UPAJ Collective - My East is Your West .

(Review by Steve T)
Bit of a blindfold test with no accompanying notes, so only scant info on the disc to go on, followed up with a good old google. 
Track listing includes The Creator Has a Master Plan and Journey in Satchidananda from Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane respectively, so no surprises there, with both artists part of the Coltrane oeuvre, where eastern music, religion and philosophy were so prominent.
Mind Ecology was instantly recognisable and swiftly identified from the John McLaughlin/ Shakti masterpiece Natural Elements, so another piece in the puzzle, and always welcome to see the Mclaughlin star in the ascendancy.  


Without liner notes to check on the proper terms, there's a thorough mixing of Indian and western instruments, including acoustic guitar, flute, tablas, Indian percussion, drum kit, (electric) bass (I think), piano and sitar. There's also quite a lot of sax, but I'm not always certain whether it's tenor or alto (or both), and at one point I think there's a bass clarinet but later I think there's a baritone; maybe there is or maybe they were both the same thing, The baritone sound is reminiscent of early Mothers and I think it entirely consistent that a musician would listen to both McLaughlin and Zappa (who toured together but later had a very public disagreement). There's also a drone which is more or less a constant in Indian Music.  

Applause confirms it's live and Google that it was recorded at the Church of Sound in London. The two-part piece that ends the first disc/set is an ancient raga called Makauns

The second set/disc features more of the same, but with some konocal singing and perhaps even some scant lyrics. Earth starts with a slow bass which reminds me of the Temptations’ Papa Was a Rolling Stone throughout its almost fifteen minutes. I thought this might be another McLaughlin piece but have found no trace. There's also a track named Haij after an annual pilgrimage to Mecca, a Ravi Shankar piece called Mishrank and an encore written by Don Cherry called Utopia and Visions, which more or less fits with the general direction of the music.

Sarathy Korwar is an American born percussionist/composer, raised in India, where he trained in classical tabla, but now lives in London.    
   
The album will be out on November 16 and if you have any interest whatsoever in Indian Music or the fusion of Jazz with Indian Music, you really must check it out.

Steve T.
Sarathy Korwar - tabla, drum kit 
Domenico Angarano - double bass, electric bass 
Aravindhan Baheerathan - bansuri (flute) 
Giuliano Modarelli - acoustic guitar 
Al MacSween - keys 
Tamar Osborn - baritone sax, flute 
Jasdeep Singh Degun - sitar 
John Ball - santoor, tabla 
Jesse Bannister - alto sax 
Aditya Prakash - vocals 
B C Manjunath - mridangam, kanjira 

1 comment :

S Tulip said...

So no tenor or bass clarinet. Not too surprised.

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