November
Mon 18: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: FILM: Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle 5:15pm. Film documenting political machinations in 1960s’ Congo. Dir. Johan Grimonprez. Soundtrack features Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie & many others.
Tue 19: Christine Tassan et Les Imposteures @ Bowes & Gilmonby Parish Hall, Co. Durham. 7:30pm. £14.00.; £7.00. child.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Mark Robertson.
Tue 19: FILM: Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle 7:30pm. Film documenting political machinations in 1960s’ Congo. Dir. Johan Grimonprez. Soundtrack features Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie & many others.
Tue 19: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Billingham Catholic Club. 7:30pm. £5.00. from 07757 062798 or at the door.
Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Christine Tassan et Les Imposteures @ Howick Village Hall, nr. Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00.; £6.00. child.
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 20: Hot Club of Heaton @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘third Wednesday in the month’ session.
Thu 21: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘Autumn into Winter Titles (music & songs that go with the change of the seasons)’.
Thu 21: FILM: Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle 5:00pm. Film documenting political machinations in 1960s’ Congo. Dir. Johan Grimonprez. Soundtrack features Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie & many others.
Thu 21: Down for the Count Swing Orchestra @ Newcastle Cathedral. 7:30pm. £25.00., £20.00., £14.00. ‘Swing Into Xmas with the Down for the Count Swing Orchestra’.
Thu 21: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. Guests: Neil Brodie (trumpet); Donna Hewitt (sax); Josh Bentham (sax); Garry Hadfield (keys); Ron Smith (bass); Mark Hawkins (drums).
Fri 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The White Swan, Ovingham. 12:30-3:30pm. Line-up: Chris Perrin (clarinet, tenor sax); Phil Rutherford (sousaphone); David Gray (trombone, trumpet, vocals); Brian Bennett (banjo). To book a table tel: 01661 833188.
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: East Coast Swing Band @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm.
Fri 22: Dilutey Juice @ Independent, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £10.00. + £1.00. bf.
Fri 22: Archipelago @ Poprecs, High St. West, Sunderland. 7:00pm. £10.00. Multi-bill, Archipelago on stage 8:00pm. A Boundaries Festival event.
Fri 22: Groovetrain @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. £15.00. + bf. 8:45pm (7:30pm doors).
Sat 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 11:00-1:00pm. £6.00. at the door, £4.00. advance. Tel: 0191 691 7090. A Spanish City ‘Xmas Market’ event in the Champagne Bar.
Sat 23: Washboard Resonators @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Sat 23: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ Westovian Theatre, South Shields. 7:30pm.
Sun 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 11:00-1:00pm. £6.00. at the door, £4.00. advance. Tel: 0191 691 7090. A Spanish City ‘Xmas Market’ event in the Champagne Bar.
Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Skerritt (solo) performing with backing tapes.
Sun 24: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 24: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Washboard Resonators @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £8.00.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Groovetrain @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. £15.00. + bf. 5:15pm (4:00pm doors). SOLD OUT!
Sun 24: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 24: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Globe. 8:00pm.
Sun 24: Lighthouse Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.
Donald Harrison (alto/vocal); Bill Summers (perc/vocal); Jerry Z (keys); Mike Clark (drums).
The highs, and they were very high indeed, included Harrison's alto solos which were as good as, if not even better, than when I first heard him with Blakey's Jazz Messengers a thousand years ago (actually about 30 years ago!). A spiky player to rate alongside anyone you care to mention.
So why bring in the Curate's breakfast? Good question but, enjoyable as it was, it didn't quite make the earth move for me. At times it had an almost Smooth Jazz feeling and the finale with Harrison vocalising on Kongo Square (spelling from the CD that many of the numbers came from) left me cold although, in fairness, the rest of the room was on their feet happily engaging in a call and response session.
2 comments :
Agree 100% with your review. Early on the fine line between in-the-pocket groove and smooth jazz was in danger of being blurred but thankfully Clark found a groove and didn't let go. Harrison quoted Ellington and Dizzy (Manteca). Summers didn't do much until Watermelon Man and Jerry Z was far too polite (subservient to the senior Headhunters?) - the other Gerry, that's Wor Gerry, Gerry with a G, wouldn't have stood on ceremony. Loft Funk saved the day.
I enjoyed it, but accidentally seeing the Mahavishnu Orchestra (as a rock fan, like most who saw them) in 73 notwithstanding, jazz-funk is really where I came in, officially in 78 though tentatively through 75/6.
My main disappointment was at rows of empty seats and this kind of thing works best when there's an up for it audience and - who knows - we may have got Chameleon. I'm guessing the jazz people think it's too funky and the funk people find it too jazzy. I thought there was enough for both, especially with the splendid encore - sorry Lance.
If you ever see Show of Hands, he'll tell you they're too folkey for the people who don't like folk but not folkey enough for the people who do. However, you won't see many empty seats at a Show of Hands gig.
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