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

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Hey Remember This @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 14: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Philip Larkin’s Jazz Experiment.
Thu 14: Jerron Paxton @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb country blues.
Thu 14: Solcade @ the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. 7:00pm. EP launch. Rivkala & co..
Thu 14: Jacob Egglestone @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums) & guests.
Thu 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: 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 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

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).

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Jambone @ Sage Gateshead - April 26

(Review by Russell/Photos courtesy of Chris K)

Sage Gateshead's youth jazz orchestra assembled on the concourse prior to the much-anticipated celebration of Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in a sold out Sage Two (see LL's review). MD Paul Edis prepared a challenging programme of modal-era jazz confident that Jambone's current crop of musicians would acquit themselves with distinction.  

Jamboners are in their teens but that doesn't deter them from tackling material that many a seasoned musician would think twice about. It would appear MD Edis believes they can do it and, in front of scores of Sage patrons, the ensemble set about proving him right.

Solos rippled through the sections, all impressed; Lucien Guest, standing tall alongside Great North Big Band Jazz Festival award-winning trumpeter Ferg Kilsby, the lesser known reeds Jack Pearce and Zac Parlby,   inheritor of Ben Lawrence's piano chair Edgar Ho, the rhythm kings Alex Shipsey and Dylan Thompson (DT sharing percussion duties with Maeve Thorpe) and the one-to-watch, vocalist Emily McDermott. 

Ronnie Scott's is sixty as are two iconic albums. In March 1959 Miles Davis recorded Porgy and Bess and from it, McDermott sang It Ain't Necessarily So. The Davis-Gil Evans chart worked well, the ensemble listening to one another, eyes on Edis, our MD on top of things. Fast forward a matter of weeks to April 1959 to the biggest selling jazz album of all time - Kind of Blue. Muted Miles wasn't particularly evident here on the concourse, more the sense of time (Shipsey nailing Paul Chambers)  and collective feel for the piece - All Blues

Jambone is a fluid, constantly evolving beast. Young musicians (13-19) interested in auditioning for the ensemble should, in the first instance, contact Sage Gateshead. Bursaries may be available.      
Russell     

Jambone: Paul Edis (Musical Director); Emily McDermott (vocals); Lucien Guest (trumpet); Ferg Kilsby (trumpet); Megan Robinson (flute); Haaruun Miller (tenor sax, soprano sax); Zac Parlby (tenor sax); Jack Pearce (alto sax); Ben Knivett (baritone sax); Tom Henerey (guitar); Edgar Ho   (piano); Alex Shipsey (double bass); Dylan Thompson (drums, percussion); Maeve Thorpe (drums, percussion)

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