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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.

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.

Wed 02: Lauren Bush: The Jazz Singer’s Toolkit @ The Pele, Corbridge. 1:00-4:00pm. Vocalist Lauren Bush with pianist Jamil Sheriff presents a jazz singing workshop. £40.00. (inc. evening concert, see below). Registration required for workshop: www.laurenbushjazz.com. All ability levels welcome.
Wed 02: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 02: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 02: Lauren Bush & Jamil Sheriff @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00-9:00pm. £10.00. Concert performance. Tickets: www.laurenbushjazz.com.
Wed 02: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 02: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. POSSIBLE CANCELLATION. See website for updates: www.theglobenewcastle.bar.

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, May 08, 2019

CD Review: Mark Turner Meets Gary Foster


Gary Foster (alto sax); Mark Turner (tenor sax); Putter Smith (bass); Joe LaBarbera (drums)
Review by Dave Brownlow

The ‘Lennie Tristano School’ had a big influence on the evolution of jazz and its subsequent history. It included many “collaborators” in the 1940s and early ‘50s notably Tristano himself, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, Billy Bauer and our own Ronnie Ball and Peter Ind and three of them provide compositions for this double CD.
The Turner/Foster saxophone duo, supported by experienced bassist Putter Smith and drummer Joe LaBarbara delve into core pieces from the Tristano oeuvre. This is not a recreation of the past, but a “live” re-visiting of seldom-played compositions from a historic movement with a nod to more recent innovations, techniques and interactions. The selections are all extended performances(except What’s New at 6min 24sec) ranging from 11min 43 sec to 15min 50sec. For the listener, it’s quite a challenge without a piano or guitar to provide the chord sequences, so it helps to know the structure of the original songs.

Background Music is a long up-tempo romp through Warne Marsh’s sinuous contrafact based on All Of Me where all four players shine. Sonny Red’s Teef, at a bluesy mid-tempo, is perfect for their free-flowing ideas. Tristano’s Lennies Pennies based on Pennies From Heaven is well guided by the hard working Putter Smith whose lithe bass shoulders the entire chordal responsibility throughout the album. A musical drum solo from LaBarbera reminds us that he’s lost none of his technique and ideas since the years when he was such an integral part of Bill Evans’ latter trios.

Harold Arlen and Johnnie Mercer’s Come Rain Or Come Shine - a feature for Turner- begins with an astonishing unaccompanied cadenza subtly leading to an oblique theme statement as the band joins in. Bass, then an extended, complex tenor workout leads to another fine, tasteful LaBarbera contribution.

Tristano’s oblique 317 East 32nd Street based on Out Of Nowhere opens Disc 2. Again the solos are relatively easy to follow bearing in mind the well-known chord sequence. Turner’s solo here is particularly interesting in his use of intervals and the whole range of the saxophone. The drum solo is so very musical as Joe improvises cleverly on the chord patterns.

What’s New? Bob Haggart and Johnny Burke’s standard from the GASbook is taken at a comfortable, relaxed tempo as a feature for Foster. His alto tone is more Desmond than Konitz on this selection. Finally, Konitz’s Subconscious-Lee begins with out-of tempo contributions from all before Lee’s fiendish theme based on What Is This Thing Called Love? develops into an improvised duet from the saxes including a passing reference to Hot House the famous bebop contrafact so often used by Bird and Diz.

Overall, a fine double CD featuring four of today’s masters playing at the top of their game with fluency, imagination and confidence.
Dave B
Available May 17 on CAPRI 74156-2 from: http://caprirecords.com

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