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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

17904 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 225 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (March 24).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Hannabiell & Midnight Blue @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 27: Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb blues duo.

Fri 28: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00 SOLD OUT!.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm.
Fri 28: Sue Ferris Quintet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £10.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 28: Mostly Moonlight @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 28: Juliana Day & Manon McCoy @ Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00.; £10.00. advance. JNE.

Sat 29: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 29: Doris Day Story @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Sat 29: Squabble! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 30: Jan Spencelayh & Dave Archbold @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 30: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

APRIL 2025

Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Mark Robertson.
Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. Free.

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 10, 2019

Zoë Gilby & Alan Law: Beatles, Bossa & Beyond @ Jazz Cafe Mezzanine - April 10

Zoë Gilby (vocals); Alan Law (piano)
(Review by Russell)

Down the years BSH correspondents have written reams about Zoë Gilby without, it seems, ever documenting her occasional duo project gigs with Alan Law.This Jazz Cafe Mezzanine appearance was an opportunity to finally catch up with their Beatles, Bossa and Beyond set.

As the big hand approached two o'clock Zoë and Alan took a seat - vocalist Zoë sitting atop a high stool, pianist Alan on a piano stool. And what a scene lay before them - all seats taken with dozens standing and yet more settling down on the stairs! 

GASbook, bossa, Beatles - that the opening sequence to the first set. Caravan (minus the usual party-piece drum solo), Jobim's How Insensitive then Lennon and McCartney's And I Love Her. So this was Beatles, Bossa and Beyond. Zoë introduced Macca's Yesterday suggesting it was probably the Fab Four's (Fab One's?) most famous song. Yes, probably, but perhaps not the best. 

The bossas tended to be ACJ (One Note SambaNo More BluesDindi) and the GASbook selections were choice, if familiar (Do Nothing Till You Hear from MeNature Boy) and the Beatles' numbers, invariably credited to Lennon and McCartney, included Across the UniverseSexy Sadie and Blackbird. Zoë introduced the latter number - more Macca than Lennon and McCartney - which prompted Alan to exclaim: Too many chords! As the big hand approached four o'clock many, too many, Beatles’ numbers hadn't made the set list. The Lennon and McCartney songbook is a weighty tome - Zoë Gilby and Alan Law could be dipping into it for years to come. 
Russell

* BSH Editor-in-Chief will, no doubt, inform readers if this is an inaccurate observation!  
Editor: See review from 2015.     

2 comments :

Mirrors said...

This was an excellent gig. I was entranced and delighted by the interpretations. If you get a chance to catch them again, make it a priority!

Steve T said...

When you consider that George Harrisons are credited to George Harrison, all Beatles songs, with the exception of Day in the Life, were actually Lemon or McCartney. Across the Universe was Lemon.
Tomorrow Never Knows always requires a special mention when discussing this most supremely over-rated pop group (it's doubtful anything in the history of mankind, besides possibly other religious deities, has ever been more over-rated).
While Lemon came up with the melody of the chant, the lyrics were lifted directly from Timothy Leary's translation of Tibetan Book of the Dead and, according to George Martin - who should know, all the bits that separate it from every other Beatles record, were down to McCartney, inspired by Stockhausen and probably Mingus.

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