Bebop Spoken There

Emma Rawicz: "In a couple of years I've gone from being a normal university student to suddenly being on international stages." DownBeat January 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

18219 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 73 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 24), 73

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Thu 29: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 35s only. Rescheduled from December 4th.
Thu 29: Oh No Noh + Dan Coulthurst Quintet @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £16.45., £13.28., £12.22., £9.04. Coulthurst (trumpet); Joel Steadman (bass clarinet, flute); Nico Widdowson (piano); Fergus Quill (double bass); Theo Goss (drums).

Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 30: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 30: Pete Roth Trio @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Feat. Bill Bruford.
Fri 30: Jive Aces @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Fri 30: Dan Coulthurst Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00 + £1.00. bf (www.wegottickets.com). Coulthurst (trumpet); Joel Steadman (bass clarinet, flute); Nico Widdowson (piano); Fergus Quill (double bass); Theo Goss (drums).

Sat 31: Darling Dollies @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Vocal trio.
Sat 31: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

FEBRUARY 2026

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet + guest Bill Watson (trumpet, flugelhorn).
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Annie & the Caldwells @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £25.00. adv. Gospel/soul.
Sun 01: Jive Aces @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Sun 01: Olly Styles Experience + Jenny Baker @ the Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: TBC.
Thu 05: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Special guest Emma Wilson.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

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 31, 2019

CD Review: Kate Williams' Four Plus Three meets Georgia Mancio - Finding Home

Kate Williams (piano); Georgia Mancio (voice); John Garner, Maria Schreer (violins); Francis Gallagher (viola); Sergio Serra (cello); Oli Hayhurst (bass)); David Ingarmells (drums) + John Williams (guitar on 2 tracks).
(Review by Lance).

A cracking album - I've come to expect nothing less from Georgia. A lunchtime gig at Cadogan Hall some years back planted the seed which bore fruit when I heard her on disc,  and later live with Alan Broadbent at GIJF. Since then I've checked her out and regretted I haven't been able to get down to Pizza Express for her justly acclaimed ReVoice sessions.
Finding Home fills that gap. The voice is as smooth as silk. Kate Williams' Four Plus Three - a successful merger of piano trio and string quartet - provide the perfect accompaniment to the mix of standards and originals. On the originals, with the exception of  Alan Broadbent's Tell the River, Kate Williams composed the music and Georgia the lyrics. From the title track - I find a way forward and now I know my way back.

Clever words that typify the various stories the singer conveys with her lyrics. The subjects are varied. Two of the subjects - the refugee crisis and our place in the natural world - are so far removed from what we expect to hear and yet they hit the spot. Perhaps they even make the listener realise that there are more important things to be concerned about than the price of a pint or whether your team will be relegated - maybe even more important than the B word.

Kate's father, the world-renowned classical guitarist John Williams is featured on 2 tracks whilst the string quartet includes John Garner on violin who is not unknown in the northeast.

Although the album isn't officially released until June 1, it can be obtained from  from https://www.georgiamancio.com/ Georgia and Kate take the band on the road with gigs in April, May, June and July. Sadly, Bolton Abbey, Skipton, seems to be the most 'northerly' point. An all too familiar story. It would be interesting to know why an Arts Council England/Lottery funded project isn't being taken up by our local promoters. Is it the bands who are reluctant to travel north or the promoters who feel the music is too way out or maybe not way out enough?

An album that  I found to be delightful in a thought-provoking way.
(Listen to a compilation).
Lance.

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