Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 2026)

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

18602 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 466 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 8) 17

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

From This Moment On

June

Wed 10: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 10: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 10: John Garner & John Pope @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 11: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 11: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: MNO of the GASbook.
Thu 11: FILM: Köln 75 @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 2:45pm. Dir. Ido Fluk. Drama based on the true story of Keith Jarrett’s 1975 concert in Cologne.
Thu 11: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.
Thu 11: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm.
Thu 11: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 11: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 11: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:30pm. Free

Fri 12: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 12: Pete Tanton & Alan Law @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Tanton (trumpet, vocals); Law (piano).
Fri 12: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 12: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Cleveland Bay Hotel, Eaglescliffe. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 13: Ladies of Midnight Blue + Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Northumberland Miners’ Picnic, Woodhorn Museum, Ashington NE63 9YF. Free. From 10:00am. Ladies of Midnight Blue (3:00-3:45pm); Northern Monkey Brass Band (4:00-4:45pm).
Sat 13: Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 13: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Saltburn Bandstand. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sat 13: Courtney Pine @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £35.80. Pine (saxophones); Robert Mitchell (piano); Rio Kai (double bass); Romarna Campbell (drums). ‘A Modern-Day Jazz Story 1986 - 2026’.

Sun 14: Front Porch Band: Swing Tyne’s Swing Social @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Donations (£5.00. - £10.00. suggested). Swing dance event w. taster class (12:30pm).
Sun 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00-3:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 14: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Doctor Jazz @ The Old Church, Sacriston, Durham. 3:00-5:00pm . Free (donations welcome). New Orleans, blues & classic 20th century songs. Food & soft drinks available, BYOB.
Sun 14: Eddie Gripper Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Gripper (piano); Clem Saynor (double bass); Patrick Barrett-Donlon (drums). Americana album tour.

Mon 15: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 15: Dan Johnson w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 16: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 16: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: TBC.

Friday, November 30, 2018

New Spring Season of Jazz Announced @ Sage Gateshead

(Press release)
A Spring season of top acts and emerging artists from the jazz, soul and funk world has been announced by Sage Gateshead today.

The Comet is Coming, Booker T. Jones and Ronnie Scott’s All Stars are among the highlights for Spring 2019.

Sage Gateshead’s New Year New Artist Festival in January will showcase some exciting, new generation artists including Vels Trio and the math rock and electronic sounds of Slow Loris and Purple Shirt. April 1 will see the first North East visit for Mercury Prize nominated, cosmic-psychedelic jazz trio The Comet is Coming. And in May the pioneering Gondwana records label (home to GoGo Penguin and Portico Quartet) celebrates 10 years with a special one-nighter featuring first visits by Mammal Hands, Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra, Noya Rayo and more.


Fans of boundary crossing, contemporary jazz/classical will enjoy ECM recording artist Tigran Hamasyan’s sensational solo piano and choral concert on January 26, with special guests Voices of Hope choir. March 3 will see Trumpet player/composer Laura Jurd and guests the Ligeti Quartet, Dinosaur, Heida Mobeck and Anja Lauvdal in a celebration of new sounds. This dynamic 14-piece ensemble will be made up of world-class improvisers and contemporary music-makers from Norway and the UK.

Also from Norway is spellbinding composer and tuba player Daniel Herskedal, appearing on March 23, promoting his third album Voyage on Edition Records. Following his recently released solo album, two-time Grammy-winning pianist and founding member of Snarky Puppy, Bill Laurance, will perform on April 6.

The legendary Booker T.Jones makes a welcome return to delight funk and soul fans on February 26. And The Cinematic Orchestra will also return to Sage One in the Spring with full details to be announced early in the New Year.  

Mark Nightingale and his Strictly Smokin’ Big Band perform on February 23 and on April 26 the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars will perform their 60th Anniversary Concert. Direct from London’s world-famous jazz club, combining world-class live jazz alongside rare archive photos and video footage, the band will take the audience on a guided, musical tour of what has now become a music institution.

The season is part of a refreshed approach to programming jazz at Sage Gateshead, which will see a broader year-round programme and a new, fixed-date slot for the Gateshead International Jazz Festival. The annual festival will be relaunched on the third full weekend of March (20-22) in 2020 after taking a break next year.

Tamsin Austin, Director of Performance Programme at Sage Gateshead, said: “We are very excited about entering a new era for jazz at Sage Gateshead. We are currently focusing on delivering a broader, year-round programme to grow our audiences.

“We have a fantastic Spring season of performances from across a range of jazz/cross over genres and at the same time we are working hard on refreshing our annual festival so that we can strengthen the offer at Sage Gateshead for the long term.”

For more information on jazz at Sage Gateshead or to book tickets visit 
  • 18 January – Vels Trio + Slow Loris + Purple Shirt
  • 26 January – Tigran including special guests Voices of Hope
  • 26 February – Booker T. Jones
  • 3 March – Laura Jurd & guests ft. the Ligeti Quartet, Dinosaur, Heidi Mobeck & Anja Lauval
  • 23 March – Daniel Herskedal
  • Spring - The Cinematic Orchestra (full details to be announced in the New Year).
  • 1 April  – The Comet is Coming
  • 6 April – Bill Laurance
  • 26 April  – Ronnie Scott’s All Stars
  • 3 May – Gondwana Records 10: Mammal Hands, Matthew Halsall & Gondwana Orch, Noya Rao, Caoilfhionn Rose and Hania Rani.

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