Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

CD Review: Lauren White - Life in the Modern World

Lauren White (vocals); Quinn Johnson (piano); Kevin Axt (bass); Marvin "Smitty" Smith/Chris Wabich/Kevin Winard (drums/perc); Grant Geissman (guitar); Alex Budman (horns); Tatum Greenblatt/Michael Stever (trumpet/flugel); Francisco Torres (trombone); David Mann (flute) + Mark Winkler (vocal 2 tks/ producer.)
(Review by Lance.)

"You just have to whistle. You know how to whistle don't you? You just put your lips together and blow". Lauren Bacall famously delivered that line to Bogie in the noir film To Have and Have Not. Bacall also 'sang' How Little We Know in the film although Andy Williams was rumoured to have ghosted Lauren's voice! This Lauren doesn't need no ghosts to sing the Hoagy/Mercer song and if she did it certainly wouldn't be Andy Williams! 

I first heard Lauren [White] some 3 years back when I reviewed her previous album - Out of the Past, Jazz & Noir - the standard hasn't dipped and White continues painting pictures of a world we inhabit in movies, paperbacks and late-night bars. The voice brings a sense of theatre to the lyrics yet still retains the jazz feel. Each song tells a story - they stand up with or without the music but, with the music and the voice they stand tall, yes, very tall. 

A superb group of instrumental A-listers drop in to provide 'tell me more' solos as well as supplying the cushion to ensure a safe landing if she falls.

The girl doesn't fall!
Lance
Buy/listen.

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