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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17680 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 23 of them this year alone and, so far,23 this month (Jan. 9).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 11: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 11: Under the Wellie @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 12: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: King Bees @ The Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.
Sun 12: Dave Bottomley @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar.
Sun 12: Jack Pearce Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 13: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 13: Raymond MacDonald & Andy Champion @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 14: Zoë Gilby Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 15: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 15: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 15: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 15: Hot Club of Heaton @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘third Wednesday in the month’ session. TBC.

Thu 16: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Bix Lectures @ Bix Fest, Racine, Wisconsin - March 8 & 9

(Review by Russell)

Phil Pospychala is an anorak, a Bixian anorak. The Bix Fest director gave two lectures during this year's festival, the first on the subject of a 1971 documentary radio series which, until recently, was to all intents and purposes lost, forgotten about. Mr Pospychala knows everyone who is anyone in the Bixian community and he has acquired a copy of the broadcast tapes thanks to his friendship with the respected musician Frank Powers. The second talk, titled The Good, Bad & Worst (of Bix), was a no-holds-barred assessment of Beiderbecke with an emphasis on the 'worst' aspects of the legendary cornetist's life and times. 

The first lecture took the form of an affectionate, at times rambling, introduction outlining the format of the radio series which included interviews with some of Bix's associates who were still around in the early 1970s. Pospychala selected two of the ten half hour programmes and played them back to back. Of course, the broadcast music was great and Pospychala's fellow Bixians listened intently to numbers they had no doubt listened to countless times, some applauding at the conclusion of each tune. Such is the dedication of Bix Fest attendees that participating musicians at the event were themselves keen to listen. As the talk concluded Andy Schumm made some telling points about the music we had just heard. 
In his second lecture, Pospychala probed the less appealing aspects of his subject's life. Describing Beiderbecke as a genius - no one present dissented from the observation - our speaker suggested he was other than his good guy image would suggest. Bix's well-documented alcoholism masked a troubled soul argued Pospychala yet, in the final analysis, it was Beiderbecke's music that will live on. The event concluded with several musical examples (78s!) being heard as testament to the genius of Leon Bismark 'Bix' Beiderbecke. 
Russell.

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