Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Terri Shaltiel Band @ Hoochie Coochie - June 14

(Review by Nathan)

One of Newcastle's best kept secrets is the great live bands that appear at Hoochie Coochie. The club's owner (Warren) is a great connoisseur of soul music and he indulges himself by hiring some amazing bands that wouldn't otherwise come to Newcastle. Live bands that appear there are always worth checking out.

Terri Shaltiel, a singer/guitarist/songwriter from Leeds, has made a name for herself with an eclectic mix of soul, blues and reggae, across a series of concerts and festivals. It was great to hear her at Hoochie Coochie on Friday. From the first moment, we knew we were in for an incredible night - she absolutely "tore the hair off my head" with an amazing performance.
Daring singer, really reaching for notes, powerful emotional content - it was a high-energy performance. Unbelievably, Shaltiel was suffering from a sore throat, slurping honey 
between songs - from the sound, nobody would have guessed it. Tight rhythm section - drum and bass clearly had a close relationship - very agile, played some very sexy grooves.

The performance concentrated mainly on ensemble but they indulged in a few solos at the end of each set - the first set finished with a three chorus drum solo, which really expressed the energy of the entire performance. Excellent tenor sax.

Despite the fantastic music on stage incredibly, some of the audience didn't get it. It was a hugely enjoyable performance and very danceable music, but it didn't seem to meet their expectations which was their loss! 

After the gig, Warren confided about the difficulty attracting audiences to live gigs, a problem so many venues face, irrespective of the genre. 

Let's hope more music fans come along to Hoochie and don't feel put-off by their own expectations - good music can happen at night-clubs with a dance-floor. There is always so much to learn from good music, especially from innovators, outside the scene we know.
Nathan Allonby

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