Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: ''It was then that Coltrane came along and single-handedly brought this dimension of spirituality into jazz. It was a pivotal experience to me.'' (DownBeat September, 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

19,012 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 876 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 16) 55.

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

October.

Sat 17: SunOrbitUs @ Culture House, Sunderland. 11:00am - 5:00pm. Closing event in a year-long piece of music. 11:00am-1:00pm Improvisation workshop w. Faye MacCalman; 2:00-5:00pm Collective Improvised Performance by Sunderland residents. SOLD OUT!
Sat 17: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 17: Martin Taylor @ Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £48.72; £43.37. Solo guitar. SOLD OUT!

Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Jump jive.
Sun 18: Guisborough Big Band @ Redcar Rugby Club. 5:00-8:00pm. ‘Charity Big Band Birthday Bash’ in aid of Parkinson’s UK & Young Sounds UK. Free (donations on the door).
Sun 18: Martin Taylor @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £23.30. Solo guitar.
Sun 18: Ben Crosland Quartet with Steve Waterman @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 19: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Pete Tanton (trumpet, flugelhorn).
Tue 20: Graham Hardy’s Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Head, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Tickets from Tully’s, Rothbury. Coquetdale Jazz. Note change of venue.
Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, Scotty Adair.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 21: FILM: Blue Moon @ Washington Arts Centre. 1:00pm. £4.50 (inc. bf). Biopic of lyricist Lorenz Hart.
Wed 21: De'Sean Jones’ Urban Art Orchestra @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.; £5.00. student, unwaged; free to Mercury Awards ticket holders. De'Sean Jones (tenor sax, EWI); Tjoe Man Cheung (guitar); Mikele Montolli (double bass) + others TBA.
Wed 21: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 21: Roby Glod-Steve Sewell Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Thu 22: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 22: Mercury Prize @ Utility Arena Newcastle. 8:00pm. £60.25.; £48.75. Line-up inc. Knats.
Thu 22: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bandstand!, Exhibition Park, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.20 (inc. bf) via Instagram. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Thu 22: Olly Styles Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.75.

Fri 23: Sara Oschlag w. Arnie Somogyi Trio @ The Lit & Phil. 1:00pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); John Hirst (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 23: Maja Bugge & Dave Evans @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Fri 23: Knats @ King Street Social Club, North Shields. 7:00pm. £17.00., £14.70., £11.30., £5.50. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.
Fri 23: Sara Oschlag & Arnie Somogyi w. Ben Lawrence @ Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); Arnie Somogyi (double bass).
Fri 23: Ronnie Scott’s Soho Songbook @ Redhills, Durham. 8:00pm. James Pearson (piano); Sam Burgess (double bass); Chris Higginbottom (drums); Alex Garnett (sax); Polly Gibbons (vocals). Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: SwanNek + Jacob Egglestone @ Fabio’s Bar, Durham. 9:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.

Monday, May 06, 2019

Darlington Jazz Festival: New Century Ragtime Orchestra with Enrico Tomasso @ St Augustine's Parish Centre - May 4


(Review by Russell)

Jazz in the Quakerhouse, jazz along at Joseph Pease statue, jazz at St Augustine's...decisions, decisions. Opting for the latter, the Larchfield Street Parish Centre venue couldn't have been busier. Indeed the 100+ attendance set a new record at Darlington's flourishing New Orleans Jazz Club and little wonder with the New Century Ragtime Orchestra's star guests being none other than Enrico Tomasso, Nick Ward and Ruth Lambert. 

The full house lapped up two balanced sets of classic material and popular songs of the day interspersed with some vocal numbers from our vocal triumvirate. The New Century's 'boy vocalist' Jim McBriarty led the way in the vocal stakes singing My Sweet Tooth Says Yes (but my Wisdom Tooth Says No). A good start, there would be more singing from McBriarty and the band's special guests. 
The classic material included Black and Tan Fantasy with, as MC Steve Andrews explained, the saxophone solo harmonised for the reeds' section - Messrs Andrews, Gavin Lee, Alan Marshall, the aforementioned McBriarty and the exceptional Tomasso (trumpet and Louis Armstrong-like vocals). West End Blues is one of those iconic numbers that most trumpeters likely as not shy away from but not Tomasso! An approximation of Armstrong's legendary performance would have sufficed yet hearing Tomasso's masterful recreation at this year's Darlington Jazz Festival will take some beating! 

The Benny Moten Kansas City Orchestra's Rumba Negro, more Ellington with, as Andrews teased his bandmates, Arthur Whetsol, Barney Bigard and 'Tricky' Sam Nanton (actually Tomasso, Lee and Neville Hartley!) playing Black Beauty and a superb Patrol Wagon Blues with Red Allen trumpet and vocals by Rico Tomasso accompanied by percussion wizard Nick Ward's immaculate brushwork were just three highlights during an afternoon of highlights.  

The NCRO's guest band vocalist Ruth Lambert sat to one side chuckling along with the crowded room as MC Andrews kept the one-liners coming. From time to time the Tyneside-based singer, rightly described by Andrews as 'one of England's premier vocalists', joined the ensemble to sing a selection including That's You, Baby, Mad about the Boy and, in an unexpected departure, a wonderful small group (most of the boys vacated the stage seeking liquid refreshment) vocal rendition of Skylark accompanied by Andrew's fluttering, soaring clarinet. 

Gone three o'clock the New Century Ragtime Orchestra said good afternoon to an appreciative, attentive audience with a rousing Limehouse Blues.
Russell                 
New Century Ragtime Orchestra: Jim McBriarty, Alan Marshall, Gavin Lee, Steve Andrews (reeds); Enrico Tomasso (trumpet, vocals); Dave Hignett (trumpet); Neville Hartley (trombone); Colin Haikney (piano); Keith Stephen (guitar, banjo); Phil Rutherford (tuba); Nick Ward (drums); Ruth Lambert (vocals)
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