Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

Fri 26: ???

Sat 27: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 27: Leeds City Stompers @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.

Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ 3 Stories, High St. West, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: The Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Jason Holcomb & co.

Mon 29: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 30: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £8.00., £7.00. adv.

Wed 31: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 31: Lil Miss Mary & the Mr Rights Trio @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. ‘Early NYE Bash’. Rockabilly, rhythm & blues.
Wed 31: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. ‘Midnight in Manhattan’ NYE party. £49.46 (inc. bf) & £29.38 (inc. bf).

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 Samba, No More Blues, Dindi) and the GASbook selections were choice, if familiar (Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me, Nature Boy) and the Beatles' numbers, invariably credited to Lennon and McCartney, included Across the Universe, Sexy 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.     
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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!

Thursday, May 02, 2019 9:21:00 pm
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.

Friday, May 03, 2019 11:03:00 am

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