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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

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

Tuesday, March 05, 2019

Great North Big Band Jazz Festival 2019: Youth Section (Day 3) - Mar 3

(Review by Russell)

YOUTH SECTION

Kirklees in West Yorkshire sustains an enviable Music Education Hub. The strength of the funded set-up showed in the quantity and quality of bands making the trip to Chester le Street. The Youth Section of this year's GNBBJF began with Kirklees' Musica Youth Jazz (MD Adam Kingham). tenor saxophonist Isobel Kerr featured on In a Sentimental Mood with the award-winning vocalist Daisy Cameron impressing once more on Cheek to Cheek and Mr Zoot Suit

Tyne Valley Youth Big Band (MD Dave Hignett) presented a street brass band-infused set. A Dave Hignett arrangement of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and a Youngblood Brass Band arrangement of Human Nature were just the tunes to engage the young musicians from Northumberland. Similarly, Van Morrison's Moondance and Jim Peterik's Vehicle succeeded in producing an entertaining set performed with enthusiasm and no little talent. 

The renowned Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra (MD David Little) would take some stopping. The boys and girls of the orchestra assembled on stage looking the business. David Little counted them in, then, for the most part, stood to one side content to let the orchestra do its thing. From Gordon Goodwin's Fool Me Once to You Can't Take That Away from Me to Manteca this was tremendous stuff. Soloists out front, on mic, this was the way to present a programme! Simran Prakash, trumpet (see photo), made her presence felt with a fearless display. Could anyone derail Wigan?

Scissett Youth Band (MD Johnny Beevers) adopted a radical approach - a mix of horns in two lines facing one another with percussionists at the back of the stage and, no obvious musical director. A street funk attitude, would the adjudicators be impressed with the West Yorkshire outfit?

Another White Rose raider - Musica Shelley Big Band (MD Adam Kingham) - began wih a distinct advantage in having award-winning vocalist Daisy Cameron to sing a couple of numbers. The Look of Love and Cry Me a River confirmed Cameron's newly acquired status. 

Durham County Youth Big Band (MD Shaune Eland) rattled through five peices concluding with Matt Robert's commissioned work Steam Funk. For the record, MD Eland blew the whistle! 

It had been a long day, indeed a long weekend with the potential for reporting errors. The Musica collective entered two bands with near identical names. The printed programme confused matters. Your correspondent stands to be corrected but it appeared that Musica Holme Valley Big Band (MD ?), scheduled to be the last band to perform, actually got in there ahead of Musica Colne Valley Big Band - spot the difference...Holme, Colne. Musica Holme offered four tunes, one of them being Crazy Little Thing Called Love

The recently formed Tees Valley Youth Jazz Collective (MD Jud Downs) is a work in progress and Jud Downs has the makings of a band on his hands. 

Sage Gateshead's Jambone (MD Paul Edis) gave the penultimate performance at this year's GNBBJF. Two numbers - Lullaby of Birdland and Edis' Embrace the Silence - presented a considerable challenge for the young musicians and to their credit produced a fine set. Emily McDermott sang with confidence and a new found expressiveness into the bargain. Diminutive trumpeter Ferg Kilsby (pictured) impressed as did saxophonist Jack Pearce and guitarist Tom Henery, particularly on Edis' composition. The rhythm section - bassist Alex Shipsey and drummers/percussionists Maeve Thorpe and Dylan Thompson - made a considerable and mature contribution. 

Closing this year's festival was another Yorkshire orchestra - Musica Colne Valley Big Band (MD ?). It was somehow fitting that the final number of the weekend was from the pen of festival favourite Gordon Goodwin. Yes, Jazz Police broke up the party for another year. The adjudicators deliberated one last time. 

YOUTH SECTION

Best Band: Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra

Best Soloist: Daisy Cameron

Best Section: Trumpets, Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra

Best Programme: Scissett Youth Band

Drummer Mark Jon Bolderson died in August 2017. A mainstay of the Tyne Valley Big Band, a foundation - the Mark Jon Bolderson Percussion Foundation - was established to help promising young percussionists. At this year's Great North Big Band Jazz Festival the first annual award was made to the drummer of the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra - Katie Proctor.

www.markjonboldersonpercussion.foundation 

Adjudicators' Awards

Ferg Kilsby, trumpet (Tyne Valley Youth Big Band & Jambone)

George Woolley, baritone saxophone (Scissett Youth Band)  

Russell

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