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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, 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

17904 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 225 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (March 24).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Mon 31: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

APRIL 2025

Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Mark Robertson.
Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 02: Lauren Bush: The Jazz Singer’s Toolkit @ The Pele, Corbridge. 1:00-4:00pm. Vocalist Lauren Bush with pianist Jamil Sheriff presents a jazz singing workshop. £40.00. (inc. evening concert, see below). Registration required for workshop: www.laurenbushjazz.com. All ability levels welcome.
Wed 02: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 02: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 02: Lauren Bush & Jamil Sheriff @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00-9:00pm. £10.00. Concert performance. Tickets: www.laurenbushjazz.com.
Wed 02: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 02: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. POSSIBLE CANCELLATION. See website for updates: www.theglobenewcastle.bar.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

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, November 07, 2018

Mike Durham's Classic Jazz Party 2018 @ Village Hotel, Newcastle - Nov 2 (evening)

(Review by Russell)
The Professor 1 began Friday's evening session. The opening half hour piano set is an established part of the programme (other 'professors' - nos. 2 and 3 - would perform on Saturday and Sunday evenings) and on this occasion, the floor was Martin Litton's. The elegant Litton's masterclass included one of his favourites - Willie 'The Lion' Smith's Keep Your Temper - and Ellington's Lady of the Lavender Mist.

Post WWI Americans in Paris offered Crescent City pianist David Boeddinghaus the opportunity to look at the life and work of some of his fellow Americans who chose to stay on in Europe after the Great War. Assisted by France resident New Yorker Nicolle Rochelle, Frenchmen Malo Mazurié, trumpet and Henry Lemaire on guitar, Germany's Matthias Seuffert and Norway's Lars Frank playing the reeds and the British engine room boys Malcolm Sked, string bass (as opposed to double bass, this is a connoisseur's 'classic jazz' era festival, you know!) and the ramrod straight Richard Pite behind the traps, Boeddinghaus' set offered an insight as to how it must have been. Two piano playing Freddys - Johnson and Taylor - featured; the former recorded Harlem Bound (perhaps an unfulfilled wish) for Brunswick in Paris (1933), the latter Viper's Dream.  

Ewan Bleach & His Levee Loungers found the self-effacing Bleach perhaps a tad nervous. Super talented, nerves cast aside, Bleach blew some hot, hot, hot clarinet sharing the stand with good time piano man Jeff Barnhart, Brits Martin Wheatley (banjo, guitar) and on bass Graham Hughes (usually heard playing trombone, slide or valve) and the ever-smiling, immaculate Josh Duffee (drums). Cole Porter's You'd be so easy to love hit the spot and Jerome Kern's Old Man River couldn't have been hotter if they'd tried a million times over. 

Duke Heitger's short set (Dan Levinson, reeds) heard the American on trumpet and singing, on this occasion, The Very Thought of You. An excellent half hour.  

The closing set brought Keith Nichols to the stand. The CJP's senior guest knows a thing or two about the King of Swing and his Benny Goodman Orchestra 1935 programme held the full house spellbound. A starry line-up (including the trumpets of Jamie Brownfield, Malo Mazurié and Duke Heitger, Dan Levinson on tenor and Ms Joan Viskant battling laryngitis) revisited Goodman's successful 1935 Los Angeles period. A hot Get Happy, Viskant singing You Turned the Tables on Me (arr Fletcher Henderson), the rarely heard Ballad in Blue and, a phrase Nichols is fond of using, a couple of 'tear-arse' numbers, namely Sweet and Hot and, with Richard Pite as Gene Krupa, Hooray for Hollywood

Eleven o'clock, no time for the jazz fan to rest...into the bar for a late night jam session. Standing in the crowded bar with pint in hand made note-taking somewhat difficult. Suffice to say it was a tremendous session with the last knockings approaching silly o'clock. The photo shows (left to right), Michael McQuaid, Nicolle Rochelle, Jacob Ullbeger, Mike Davis and Graham Hughes.    
Russell

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