Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18656 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 520 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 25) 72

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

From This Moment On

June

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 30: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

July

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 02: De’Sean Jones & Blaque Dynamite feat. Urban Art Orchestra @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). De’Sean Jones (MD, tenor sax); Blaque Dynamite (Mike Mitchell, drums); Jamie Murray (drums) with UAO horns & strings.
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Thu 02: Howlin’ Mat @ Newcastle Arts centre. 7:30pm. Free. Acoustic

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Paul Donnelly Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: Martin Taylor @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Taylor (solo guitar).

Sat 04: Spats Langham’s Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:00-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Take the ‘A’ Train to Summertime: From Melody to Masterclass. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest TBC.
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Saturday, March 02, 2019

CD Review: Lyn Stanley - London Calling "A Toast To Julie London"

Lyn Stanley (vocals); John Chiodini (guitar); Mike Garson, Christian Jacob (piano); Chuck Berghofer, Michael Valerio (bass); Luis Conte, Brad Dutz (perc); Aaron Serfaty (drums, perc); Paul Kreibich (drums)
(Review by Ann Alex).

I liked this CD before I heard it! At least I enjoyed the very informative notes in the insert, which give the details of each song, the circumstances in which Julie London sang the song and the details of Lyn Stanley’s interpretation. For instance, did you know that  As Time Goes By was a flop when it was written in 1931, and didn’t catch on until it was included in the film Casablanca in 1942? Or that Blue Moon was originally entitled The Bad In Every Man? I digress.

The CD gives us 15 standards recorded by Julie London and 2 songs, It’s Impossible and I Heard It Through The Grapevine, which Stanley reckons would have suited Julie’s singing. Julie London (1926-2000) was a singer and actor, and one of her classic and very influential songs was Cry Me A River. Lyn Stanley released her debut album in 2013 and she has sold 40,000 albums worldwide.  On this CD she puts very much her own take on these classic songs, Working with stellar musicians from the Los Angeles area, and without any actual written arrangements.

Her diction is faultless and she sings with feeling. For instance, Bye Bye Blackbird  is a swinging duet with lots of space for the bass, and a sly reference to These Boots Are Made For Walking at the end. I Heard It Through The Grapevine has Latin percussion with bass noodling and a free jazz feeling from the piano. Summertime (Yes Lance!) is done twice, both very acceptable, a bluesy version with the whole band, and then as a lullaby with a rocking rhythm from piano and vocals. Sway is intimate, almost whispered, with mainly piano and guitar. I could outline each track, but it’s best to hear the songs, which include: Goody Goody; Call Me Irresponsible; How About Me; I’ve Got A Crush On You; Light My Fire; Go Slow/Nice Girls Don’t Stay For Breakfast; You The Night And The Music; Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.

The music is available on CD and also in vinyl as a 2 disc set. See www.LynStanley.com
Ann Alex    
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1 comment :

Anonymous said...

Just a note to thank you so much for this review--I really enjoyed reading it and am so appreciative that you noticed the work Scott Yanow did for the liner notes to help bring the songs to life for the listener. This album's arrangements were all created by the band and they were organic even on the recording day. The lullaby of Summertime you mention was a one take one time recording whereby Mike Garson asked me to record it at the end of our band session. So, I dismissed the band and kept the engineers and Mike saundered over to the Steinway and just told me to follow his lead. And so it went. I included it because it does add such an interesting contrast to the band version and Mike's solo is over the top to me.

Thank you again, and I am sorry that I did not know about this review until today.

Lyn Stanley

Wednesday, July 17, 2019 8:41:00 am

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