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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 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

17985(and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 306 of them this year alone and, so far, 62 this month (April 26).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Seaburn. 4:30-6:15pm. Free.
Fri 02: Nauta @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:00pm. £7.50. A ‘Nauta’s House’ gig featuring Nauta & guests Shayo Oshodi & David Gray.
Fri 02: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 02: Dom Pipkin @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Solo piano.
Fri 02: Abbie Finn Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00. + bf.

Sat 03: Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Summer Samba Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 03: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Postmodern Jukebox @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Sat 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:30pm. Free.

Sun 04: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 04: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:00-5:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 04: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 04: Ben Crosland Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 05: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. 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

Monday, May 13, 2019

Andrea Vicari Trio w. Zoë Gilby @ The Prohibition Bar, Newcastle - May 12

Andrea Vicari (piano/voice); Andy Champion (bass); Russ Morgan (drums) + Zoë  Gilby (vocals).
(Review by Lance).

Having read Jerry's review of Andrea Vicari's sold out gig at the Lit and Phil on Friday I fully expected the upper room of the Prohibition Bar to be equally well-attended for not only was it the same trio but there was also the added attraction of the much-admired songstress Zoë  Gilby. For whatever reason, the hordes failed to turn out which was their loss. If I'd realised it was going to be this good I'd have been at the other 3 gigs in the region (apart from the Lit and Phil the trio were down south in Darlo and across the border in Eyemouth).

My last self-delegated assignment had been to review a CD by the KinoTrio (see previous post) and Vicari and her recently acquired cohorts lost nothing by comparision in fact although the two pianists (Vicari and Bruno Heinen) had certain similarities Vicari swung harder without losing today's presence. It was a sheer delight to witness the co-ordination between the three during the beginnings and endings.
The pianist composed the two openers; Get Busy Living and Jagged Stacks - the latter inspired by a Scottish seascape full of breakers on the shore and waves beating against the rocks - evocative images.

Time for Zoë to join the party with Little Dancer by that well-known songwriting team Harrell & Gilby. Midnight Bell, Zoë's take on a Patrick Hamilton story, followed. Every time she sings it, afterwards, I take the Hamilton trilogy Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky down off the shelf and re-read. It's that good a book and Midnight Bell is that good a song and a story.

A blistering Straight No Chaser had Zoë scatting and singing at twice the speed of light, Andrea may not have been playing the Lit & Phil's grand but what she played on the smaller keyboard certainly was grand. Andy and Russ hung on to their shirt tails before stealing the show with a brush v bass interlude of fours.
Phew!

The set finished with an original by Andrea called, I think, In Equations taken from a book she created based on rhythm related to scientific formula and which she uses in her role as an educator.

Time to re-charge before we were off again. A wordless vocal from Andrea on Base My Life; Waters of Mars and then more Monk on Well You Needn't that had an amazing couple of stride choruses. My fellow BSH reviewer, Russell, was over in Keswick listening to Keith Nichols so I'll just say that if this had been a Harlem rent party Keith would have known he'd been in a fight had Andrea taken him on stride for stride! Russ also did some ass-kicking on this one.

Zoë returned for Do Nothing Till You Hear From me; Angel Eyes and more Tom Harrell with Angela. Everyone went for it, Zoë managing to substitute Andrea for Angela at one point. It was frenetic, orgasmic, mindblowing stuff and yet, although I was tinged with regret for those that missed it I now feel so superior - Na-Na-Na-Na-Na!
Lance.

1 comment :

Pam Young (on F/b) said...

Excellent review of an excellent concert Lance. So good I caught it twice!

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