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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (DownBeat, December 2024).

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

17630 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 904 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (Dec. 20).

From This Moment On ...

December

Thu 26: The Boneshakers @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. The 17th annual Boneshakers’ Shindig.

Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Business as usual!.
Fri 27: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 27: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sat 28: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 11:30am. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 28: Fri 20: Castillo Nuevo @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 28: Jude Murphy, Rich Herdman & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 28: Ray Stubbs R & B All-Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Stepney Bank, Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sun 29: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 29: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 30: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 30: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.

Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Lapwing Trio @ Wallington (National Trust), Cambo, Morpeth NE61 4AR. 12 noon & 2:00pm. Admission to site £19.00.
Tue 31: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Tue 31: Archie Brown & Friends @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00-8:00pm. Free.

January 2025

Wed 01: ???

Thu 02: ???

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: John Gregory @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar.

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

Monday, March 04, 2019

Postmodern Jukebox @ Sage Gateshead - March 3

Breathless! That's how I felt after Scott Bradlee's all-action, pot-boiling extravaganza, Postmodern Jukebox, reached its climactic conclusion. "Phew!" I said to no one in particular. There was no other word to describe the heat generated from the stage to the audience and back.

It wasn't as jazzy as I'd expected although every single performer had jazz chops to spare the name of the game was entertainment in the form of a hypnotic blend of jazz, soul and rock 'n' roll. It was no surprise that tickets had sold well - they'd been here before!
I didn't know many of the songs although, Shout, Africa, I Will Survive and Is There Life on Mars? struck a chord with me. Nor did I catch the names of all the participants - this was one show where that relic of the past - a programme - wouldn't have gone amiss.

LaVance Colley who emceed the show has a vocal range Charlotte Church could only dream about his falsetto high notes would have cracked glasses had there been any in the hall.

Dancer Kenny (Alex MacDonald?) clogged it like Bojangles might have done had he hung out in Haarlem instead of Harlem.

The girls were 'bootiful' the hemlines rising with every costume change - what's not to like about that? And they can sing! Hannah Gill's scat exchanges with tenor and trombone on Katy Perry's Last Friday Night possibly the jazz highlight of the evening.

Newcomer Tia Simone out-souled the whole of Philly and Detroit combined whilst Olivia Kuper Harris, described as a mix of Ella Fitz, Sarah Vaughan and Peggy Lee excelled on Sunday Morning and many other numbers.

Audience/band interaction was immediate and, by the third number, we had standing ovations and dancing in the aisles. Not by everyone but most certainly by the lady seated (occasionally) in front of me - Gerri, I gather, was her name.

I didn't catch the names of all of the musicians. The tenor/clarinet/flute player may have been Ben, the trombone player may have been King and the guitarist's name sounded like Lou Pino but I could be wrong. The drummer was definitely Dave Tedeschi, piano Todd Schroeder and bassist/bandleader Adam Kubota. 

My apologies if this review seems somewhat sketchy but, with so much going on at both sides of 'the footlights' taking notes was impossible - I needed my hands for applauding!

Over in Sage Two Laura Jurd was playing leaving me with a feeling of guilt at having to miss her but you can't be in two places at once! But, isn't it wonderful that we can have two choices in the one building other than at a jazz festival? Full marks to Sage Gateshead.
Full marks also to Scott Bradlee (wherever he was last night) for turning his dream into a worldwide phenomenon. 
Lance.

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

Lance we were there last night as well. Agree entirely with you to . Your review sums it up perfectly
We had a great night seeing the PMJ.
If pushed we thought Nina Simone kusj took the cake. A big star in the making. Brilliant.
Ron Ainsborough

Lance said...

Well, there I was, still wallowing in the joy of last night, whilst enjoying a pint of Abbott Ale in my local hostelry and, at the same time, reading André Previn's 'No Minor Chords' when a guy asks me what I'm reading. I mutter, "A book by André Previn" thinking that that will shut him up and avoid a discussion on the merits or otherwise of Stephen King.
To my amazement, he says, "I was at a great concert at The Sage last night. You've probably never heard of them but..." I interrupted him - "Postmodern Jukebox, I was there!"
We then discovered he was sitting but a couple of rows in front of me - ships that pass in the night!
If you read this Gary, nice to have met you and, if you like Julie London, check out a CD review a couple of posts down.

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