Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

May

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 22: Paul Skerritt @ Market Place, Durham. From 12 noon. Free. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £TBC. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.

Friday, April 05, 2019

Alan Glen @ the Globe Jazz Bar - April 4

Alan Glen (piano); Paul Grainger (bass); P.S. Wight-White (drums).
(Review by Lance).

Close your eyes and you're in a smoke-filled dive in New York, Soho or a bar in Newcastle back in the 1950's/1960's. You're listening to Bud Powell, Eddie Thompson or maybe even a very young Alan Glen. You come back to the present. Apart from the iconic photo of Dexter Gordon on the Jazz Bar wall, the smoke has vanished but Alan Glen hasn't.

Like vintage wine and seasoned timber, the playing is tasty and solid. He may not be seeking new frontiers, they were discovered many (how high the) moons ago, he and the audience are happy with what he's got which is the undiminished powers of invention.


Up-tempo, medium swing, ballad. Piano states theme, followed by a piano solo, a bass solo, and an exchange of fours via a selection of tried and tested standards. Applause, encore and good night. A formula successfully followed by piano trios since time began. Boring? No-way - at least not when it's Alan Glen and his cohorts which tonight saw the maestro with drummer White - no man, 'e's an island - it's Wight! and the ubiquitous Paul Grainger depping for the in-demand bassist John Pope. 

The veteran pianist proved once more that age is no handicap. Every note counts and there are plenty of them. Choice chords dexterous, phrases this is bebop for today, tomorrow and the day after. Grainger slotted in perfectly and White-Wight drove from the back seat. Paul (or Sid) doubly impressed on the omnipresent All Blues with an outstanding solo using brushes - and in 3/4 time!

The pianist's intros are special you can rarely guess the tune from them but, when recognition dawns, like his solos they're perfectly logical.

Beautiful Love; Here's That Rainy Day; All the Things You Are; Never Let me Go; It Could Happen to You; Autumn Leaves; Georgia on my Mind; All Blues.

A bottle of Hobgoblin then...

If I Were a Bell; Whisper Not; Love Letters (up-tempo with a frantic exchange of fours); I Should Care; Bye Bye Blackbird; Israel; Watermelon Man and an Alan Glen original - Something Borrowed, Something Blue - to finish off with.
Quite a night. 
Lance.
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