Bebop Spoken There

Dominick "Domo" Branch: ''Most people say drummers can't write, they're just time-keepers only beating on things. But I have a very musical brain.'' (DownBeat February, 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

18288 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 142 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 14), 42

From This Moment On ...

February

Thu 19: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: George Shearing Jazz Moments.

Fri 20: Alex Clarke w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Clarke w. Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Squabble @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:00pm. Steve Chambers (organ); Jude Murphy (double bass, vocals); Sid White (drums).
Fri 20: Jive Aces @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors).
Fri 20: Alex Clarke w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Clarke w. Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.

Sat 21: ???

Sun 22: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 22: Joe Steels Group @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. A Blue Patch album tour.
Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Harben Kay Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 23: Joe Steels Group @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. A Blue Patch album tour.
Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 24: Finn-Keeble Group @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00.
Tue 24: Liam Oliver & Shayo Oshodi @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 26: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £6.50.
Thu 26: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00 adv.
Thu 26: Mick Cantwell Band @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Blues.

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, December 17, 2018

Budtet @ The Globe + Jam Session. Jazz Coop Xmas Party - Dec. 16.

Stu Finden (baritone sax/vocal); Fiona Finden (tenor sax/vocals); Dave Weisser (cornet/vocals); Jude Murphy (alto sax/flute/vocals); Jim Crinson (guitar); Andrew Porritt (bass); Eric Stutt (drums).
(Review by Lance).

The party season is now in full swing. Down south in Hartlepool, Musicians Unlimited and Alice Grace were serving up the musical mince pies, way out west, in Blaydon, it was the Paul Edis Trio and guests pulling the crackers whilst here in town, at the Globe, it was Budtet who carved the bird.

It was an impressive set with Stu Finden blowing his recently acquired baritone with a facility that reminded me of my favourite bari-player, the late Cecil Payne. Hank Mobley's This I Dig of You set the standard and it was high. Everyone soloed and there were no passengers tonight. Boplicity, Take the A Train and a familiar sounding funky feely number kept the mercury bubbling over. Dave scatted and Jude fluted - is there a better jazz flautist around? Not many.

Time to cool it. You Go to my Head sang Fiona - mine too Fi, I thought, as she sang with so much feeling.

Back to 52nd St., for Dave Weisser's take on Annie Ross' take on Wardell Gray's take on Twisted - "My analyst told me..." you know the one. More flute from Jude and Fi took her cap off and let her hair down. On a sartorial note, all four horn-players wore some form of headgear. The rhythm section of Crinson, Porritt and Stutt may have been bare-headed but they were sure-footed as a team, keeping it all together and filling in the cracks with sound and solid solos.

Jude sang a number in Portuguese - or was it Peltonese? - whilst Keith and Nicola tripped the light fantastic.

Yardbird Suite not only had solos from all but concluded with some four-part vocalese from the frontline. Lambert, Hendricks, Ross and Weisser ride again.
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Keith Barrett (guitar); Sam Young (keys); Jim Crinson (bass); Matthew Fairhurst (drums); Debra Milne (vocals); Jude Murphy (alto); Johannes Dalhuijsen (soprano sax); Nigel Robson (trombone).

A break for nibbles and raffles and a jam session to round off the evening. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for it all and so I missed some of the notables who were 'loaded for bear' and awaiting the call.

Bernie's Tune and Beautiful Love were the openers. Sam Young impressed on keyboard and Keith Barrett proved to be as good a guitarist as he is a dancer. Dalhuijsen played soprano sax and, undeterred by the calibre of saxmanship that had preceded, he made his mark. Robson blew trombone with great gusto and was applauded accordingly. Matthew Fairhurst, as ever, showed great empathy with his surrounds whilst Jim Crinson took the transition from guitar to double bass in his stride.

Debra, as befits a leading light of the Jazz Coop Board of Directors, took centre stage for Stomping at the Savoy and a poignant tribute to Nancy Wilson with Save Your Love For Me. This was made even more emotional when Jude leaped up to blow an alto solo that eclipsed just about all that had gone before. She captured the mood and I caught the metro.
A splendid evening of cooperative jazz.
Lance.

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