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

18532 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 396 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 15) 50

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

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).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: 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 22: Paul Skerritt @ Market Place, Durham. From 12 noon. Free. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £TBC. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.

Thursday, May 02, 2019

Alan Barnes + 11/The John Horler Trio @ Ronnie Scott's - May 1

Alan Barnes (alto sax/baritone sax/clarinet), Colin Skinner (alto sax/clarinet), Andy Panayi (tenor sax/flute), Mick Foster (baritone sax/bass clarinet etc.), Patrick White, James Copus (trumpets); Gordon Campbell, Callum Au (trombones); Robin Aspland (piano); Sam Burgess (bass); Ed Richardson (drums).
(Review by Lance).

Ronnie's was sold out and why shouldn't it be? This was a rather special event. A celebration, not only of  60 years of the club (or should that be The Club?) it was also the number of years that Alan Barnes (or should that be The Alan Barnes?) had been on the planet and, specific to that year (1959), it was the year that so many classic jazz albums were released including Art Pepper + 11.

Alan Barnes + 11 didn't set out to emulate the original but, instead, chose material from many of the other gems from the class of '59 e.g.: Boogie Stop Shuffle; Take 5; Felicidade; A Single Petal of a Rose; Blowin' the Blues Away; Little Rootie Tootie; Naima; Hi-Fly; Dreamsville; Catch as Catch Can and a final belter the name of which escaped me. 

Mark Nightingale wrote the arrangements but didn't make the gig as he was in Japan ("What a stag night that was" quipped Barnes) however, in Callum Au he couldn't have found a better dep. All of the saxes were featured throughout with Panayi's flute particularly impressive. Both trumpets and trombones were on the money and the rhythm section a soloist's dream. As for the leader he dazzled on alto, baritone, clarinet and even bass clarinet although it was Foster who took the lead on the latter instrument. His humour, as ever, shone through. After the audience chuckled at his plug for the band's CD he responded with "What's so funny? You don't laugh at the butcher for selling sausages!"

Absolute knockout!
----- 
John Horler Trio: John Horler (piano); Dave Green (bass); Dave Ingamells (drums).
Those who came fashionably late missed the opening set by a trio that, anywhere else, would be the headline act. Horler and Green, both legends of UK jazz, combined with one of the younger drummers on the scene proving that in jazz age is no restriction. It doesn't get much better than this.

My Romance; Gentle Bossa; How Deep is the Ocean? Some Other Time; Days of Wine and Roses and After Supper. The latter from the classic The Atomic Mr Basie album.
Lance.

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