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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.

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.

Fri 11: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: John Rowland Trio: The Music of Ben Webster @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Rowland (tenor sax); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Fri 11: Imelda May @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 11: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ Cullercoats Watch House. 7:30-9:00pm. Free (donations).

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

Friday, April 19, 2019

DJazz Festival Launch - Courtyard Cafe, Durham - April 18


(Review by Russell)

DJazz: Durham City Jazz Festival is three! Its inaugural weekend in June 2017 was an unqualified success, its second year equally so and there is no reason to think this year's event will be anything other than a runaway success.  DJazz 2019 (June 7-9) organised a launch event in the Courtyard Cafe housed within Palace Green Library, Durham University.

The Courtyard Cafe boasts views of the adjacent Durham Cathedral. There can't be many jazz venues situated next to a UNESCO World Heritage Site! DJazz masterminds Carlo, Heather and Nick were on hand to meet and greet and, crucially, orchestrate the 'big reveal' - this year's headline act.

A bottle of Durham Brewery's Magus (with its sober 'ecclesiastical' label design), a tempting chocolate brownie resisted, the full house listened with bated breath as the DJazz team said a few words about this year's festival. By design, new venues would be utilised - ranging from the wonderfully named, intimate HolyGrAle beer bottle shop to the majesty of Durham Cathedral - and new names (new names to DJazz) would be added to the bill. A big plus this year is the re-siting of the DJazz Festival Hub from Fowler's Yard to the recently redeveloped Riverwalk site with its profusion of eateries and liquid refreshment establishments. 


There will be the return of the North East Super Jam, Durham Uni Jazz Soc Jam promises much, Matt Mackellar flies in from Berklee, the Nu Bossa Band will be on the Riverwalk free stage, Drs Edis and Wilson will be improvising in the nave of Durham Cathedral (Edis the pianist becoming Edis the organist!), Arun Ghosh opens at Redhills on the Friday evening and twenty-four hours later at the same venue, DJazz 2019 presents the headliner...Moses Boyd's Exodus! Yes, drummer extraordinaire Moses Boyd (of Binker and Moses fame) is sure to sell out the Pitman's Parliament. 

There is so much to look forward to - for further details visit: djazzfestival.co.uk - and in the coming weeks, BSH will post a detailed preview of DJazz 2019. That's to come, here at the DJazz launch there was some jazz to listen to as Hand to Mouth (being a jazz musician provides a precarious living!) played two sets of music associated with the great Ella Fitzgerald-Joe Pass partnership.

Vocalist Lindsay Hannon and guitarist Bradley Johnston have got a thing goin' East coast to West coast - whenever and wherever they perform the 'Ella and Joe' connection is an absolute winner. The jazz icons - that's Ella and Joe - appeared in the region; Ella at Newcastle City Hall and, memorably, at the Newport Jazz Festival when George Wein flew in the greats of jazz to perform at Ayresome Park (formerly home to Middlesbrough FC) and Joe at Gosforth Park Hotel. This evening Lindsay and Brad gave another five-star performance. From The Very Thought of You to DindiIn My Solitude to My Funny Valentine the Courtyard Cafe's audience gave its full attention to this intimate recital of, as Humph would have said, the very best in jazz. 

Another bottle of Magus (Cheers, vicar), the chocolate brownie once again resisted, Lindsay/Ella and Brad/Joe resumed with Lush Life - you could hear a pin drop. One Note featured Brad playing zillions of them, Take Love Easy (perhaps Hand to Mouth's signature number), Some Other Time (Lindsay referencing Bill Evans), yes, this chance partnership really does have a gig goin'. 

For the record, Brad confirmed that in addition to his own transcriptions many of the tunes heard tonight were transcribed by his mentor James Birkett way back in the late seventies. Brad kindly showed BSH Dr Birkett's handwritten charts. These living, breathing documents - were they written on parchment?! - sure do beat the soul-less, albeit convenient, iPad!    
Russell

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