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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: ?

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Jamie McCredie @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. THIS WEEK ONLY JAMES BIRKETT (guitar)!
Fri 28: Luis Verde Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Knats @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.50. (inc bf.). Album launch gig. Support act TBC.
Fri 28: Black is the Color of My Voice @ The Gala, Durham. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, performed by Florence Odumosu.
Fri 28: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival: Musicians Unlimited @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. £10.00. (Weekend ticket £20.00., available on the door). Day 1/3. Musicians Unlimited in concert.
Fri 28: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

MARCH 2025

Sat 01: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 11:00am. £15.00. Day 2/3.
Sat 01: TJ Johnson Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Get your funk on! Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ The Watch House, Cullercoats. 2:00-3:30pm. Free.
Sat 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers. Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Struggle Buggy @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Blues band.
Sat 01: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: Jack & Jay’s Vintage Songbook @ 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 31, 2019

JRR & J to Z @ Free Thinking Festival, Sage Gateshead - March 30

(Review & sign picture by RussellMusician PHOTOS courtesy of Malcolm Sinclair)

It was an opportunity to think, freely, for free. For those who couldn't be bothered to think others were on hand to do it for them, for free. The eggheads came in all shapes and sizes...the traditional egghead, the jolly, the cool and then there was the audience...the egghead, the jolly, the vacant and, for two and a half hours at least, the cool, 'cool' because it was jazz time here at Sage Gateshead.

BBC Radio 3's annual pilgrimage north of the Watford Gap conjures an image of a deserted Broadcasting House as presenters, producers, assistants and assistants to assistants enjoy a 'jolly', sorry, work extremely hard, shining a Free Thinking light on the banks of the Tyne. Saturday afternoon offered two jazz programmes, back-to-back, broadcast live from Sage Gateshead to Radio 3's nationwide audience. 

Alyn Shipton is a welcome visitor returning once again to present Jazz Record Requests (4:00pm, as usual) followed by J to Z presented by the ebullient Jumoké Fashola. Of course there was plenty of 'up north' content across the two and a half hours and a half - not any old stuff, you understand, but the crème de la crème. JRR's usual format applied - Shipton introduced a listener's request, we, the audience, listened to it, Shipton introduced another request...simple but brilliant! 

Today's edition of your weekly appointment with JRR included live jazz from Jo Harrop, Paul Edis and Shipton himself - no mean bass player is Mr S! Cheek to Cheek sang Jo accompanied by the brilliant Edis, piano, and the multi-tasking Shipton reading the dots and reading his cues. Jo chose a track - Nancy Wilson singing Never Let Me Go with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Paul dedicated the Benny Green Trio's live (Village Vanguard) take on Don't Be 'Shamed to Ushaw College's Roger Kelly, and, to close the programme, the award-winning jazz blog editor of this BSH parish, LL (cue applause!), stepped up to request Jo, Paul and Alyn play I Wished on the Moon.    

Free Thinking eggheads contributed - Lisa Appignanesi requested Bessie Smith singing Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out, the Bard of Barnsley, Ian McMillan  selected The Peddlers' Lockshen Pudding (bassist Tab Martin hailed from Tyneside) and Jambone trumpet player Lucien Guest spoke to Mr Shipton about the region's music education scene in introducing Jo Harrop and Paul Edis performing Rome Wasn't Built in a Day.
 
Free Thinking headphones were available for those wishing to listen, without distraction, to the conversation emanating from Radio 3's pop-up studio. 

Mr Shipton negotiated a seamless hand-over as Jumoké Fashola took up the reins. Bang on five o'clock Sage Gateshead's Free Thinking audience emoted: Yeah! Are you listening out there in Radioland? Get this - the Graeme Wilson Quartet! Profane Drawings of Trees (check out James Hogg),  After School (Wilson dedicated the number to today's birthday girl, Isabel, two today!) and The Bold Sammy (check out the criminally neglected James Kelman) showcased one of the best bands on today's European jazz scene. 

Multi-reedsman Graeme Wilson made the trip from Edinburgh to his former Tyneside base to reunite with the A-Team  - Messrs Paul Edis (piano, keyboards, flute), Andy Champion (double bass, bass guitar, flute) and, your correspondent's favourite drummer (and percussionist!) Adam Sinclair. The quartet's performance was razor-sharp, solos top notch, Radio 3's listening millions couldn't have been other than impressed. Today's three numbers were taken from Graeme Wilson's latest recording Abscondit (www.gigmit.com/graeme-wilson-quartet).  

Tyneside works hard at promoting the best it has to offer and this afternoon's live broadcasts didn't do any harm at all. The sun shone, Sage Gateshead looked a picture, the place packed and, hopefully, BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival will return next year. This year's theme was 'Emotion', next year - who knows? One thing is for certain, Tyneside will be up for it.  

Russell

2 comments :

Liz said...

I loved it, especially the deserved mention for BSH! Jo delighted in Lance's request, great Saturday afternoon listening for those of us who couldn't actually be there.

Jerry said...

Wonderful afternoon!
Great pictures, Malcolm: thanks, Russell for the tips on Messrs. Kelman and Hogg - Graeme's enigmatic titles begin to make more sense (and I have added to my summer reading list in the process).
JERRY

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