Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

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

Friday, May 31, 2019

May Magic - Update of Gig/CD of the Year contenders.

CDs of the Month.
June
Tubby Hayes Quartet - Grits, Beans and Greens.
Scott Hamilton Quartet - Danish Ballads and More.
Eyal Vilner Big Band - Swing Out.
Judy Wexler - Crowded Heart.
May
Kim Cypher - Love Kim x
Alex Hitchcock - All Good Things
Jordon Dixon - On
Pete McGuinness Orchestra -Along For the ride.
Doug MacDonald - California Ride.
April
Anthony Strong - Me and my Radio.
Lauren White - Life in the Modern World.
Scott Robinson - Tenermore.
Q4 - Uphill Struggle.
March
Ben Crosland Quintet - the Ray Davies Songbook Volume II.
Kate Williams Four Plus Three Meets Georgia Mancio - Finding Home.
February.
Deborah Shulman - The Shakespeare Project.
Steve Fishwick & Alex Garnett - Marshian Timeslip (LP).
John Turville - Head First.
January.
Ernie Watts Quartet  - Home Light.
Chris Ingham - Stan.
Tommaso Starace - Harmony Less Quartet.
Beverley Church Hogan - Can't Get Out of This Mood.
-----
Gigs of the Month.
June
Time & Place - Paul Edis Quartet w. Jo Harrop & Vasilis Xenopoulos @ Sage Gateshead.
Strictly Smokin'Big Band @ Hoochie Coochie.
Emma Fisk's Hot Club du Nord @ Sage Gateshead.
Vasilis Xenopoulos w. Paul Edis Trio @ Ushaw College.
May
Kamasi Washington @ Sage Gateshead (21st)
Simon Spillett w. Paul Edis Trio @ Ushaw College (4th)
April
SSBB - A Great Day in Harlem @ Gosforth Civic Theatre (20th.
JR Trio @ Globe Jazz Bar (19th)
Alan Glen @ Globe Jazz Bar (4th)
March
Tenement Jazz Band @ Prohibition Bar (18th)
Jam Session @ the Black Swan (19th).
Jason Isaacs @ Hoochie Coochie (24th).
February.
JazzMain @ The Globe (3rd).
Jam Session @ The Black Swan (5th)
Jam Session @ The Black Swan (19th).
Mark Nightingale w. SSBB @ Sage Gateshead.
January.
House of the Black Gardenia @ Prohibition Bar (19th).
Jam Session @ The Black Swan (22nd).
Jam Session @ The Black Swan (8th).

Lance.

2 comments :

Russell said...

March CD of the month: Tenement Jazz Band - New Orleans Wiggle

March gig of the month: Tenement Jazz Band (Prohibition Bar), Great North Big Band Jazz Festival, Bix Fest.

Patti said...

Ha - well now, great jazz minds think alike - I'm just playing New Orleans Wiggle, and it's certainly at the top of my top March CD's ....... plus, for gigs - Tenement Jazz Band at the Prohibition Bar in March, which was where I bought their CD, and from the Racine Bix Fest, Chicago's Fat Babies and the Shake 'em up Mamas from New Orleans. Racine is about 90 miles north of the Windy City, Chicago, and the whole area is full of jazz history.

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