Total Pageviews

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.

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?

Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.CANCELLED!
Thu 10: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. A Globe fundraiser (all proceeds to the venue).
Thu 10: Exhaust: Camila Nebbia/Kit Downes/Andrew Lisle @ Jesmond URC, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. JNE.
Thu 10: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Feat. guests Ray Dales & Jackie Summers.

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

Wednesday, April 03, 2019

CD Review: Five Play - Live from the Firehouse Stage

Sherrie Maricle (MD/drums); Tomoko Ohno (piano); Noriko Uedo (bass); Jami Dauber (trumpet/flugelhorn); Janelle Reichman (tenor sax/clarinet).
(Review by Lance).

This one came out of left field and put me down for a nine-count! Maricle's T-Bone Special had me reeling. I mean, I've heard a few all-girl bands over the past year - at times I thought they were going to take over the jazz world and, with this disc, maybe they have!

A breakaway group from the world-renowned DIVA Jazz Orchestra the quintet comprises DIVA's rhythm section and two of its foremost soloists. In less enlightened times smart-arses would claim they could tell, on a blindfold test, whether the players were black or white/American or European. I wonder how they'd fayre on this one? Male or female? or would they just shrug and say that this is fantastic and who cares?


Recorded live at the Firehouse Stage in Johnson City, a small village in New York State, it's swing, it's hardbop, it's everything I want from a band. The pre-Trump administration State Department also agreed that it was what they wanted and, in 2013, sent the girls on a diplomatic mission just as, years ago, they'd despatched, Satchmo, Dizzy, Duke, BG, Brubeck and others. In 2013, Five Play performed in Vietnam.

France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Germany, Israel and Japan also had the pleasure of hearing my new favourite band - maybe, one day, the UK will be on their touring schedule.

All five are outstanding soloists; Reichman blows tenor like Dexter and clarinet like Benny but no, I'm wrong - Reichman blows like Reichman. Dauber is lyrical on flugel and a belter on trumpet. Ohno is merely super-terrific, Uedo, melodic as well as rhythmic - just hear what she does to Nancy's laughing face whilst leader Maricle sets the standard many drummers can only dream about!
Lance.
T-Bone Special*; Samba De Sorvete**; Just Squeeze Me; Uneven Pieces***; The Pilot**; Nancy (with the laughing face); Circles****; I Can't Give You Anything but Love; Unexpected****; The Time Being*.
* Comp. Maricle. ** Comp. Ohno. *** Comp. Uedo. **** Comp. Reichman.
at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive