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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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 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. CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! See website for updates: www.theglobenewcastle.bar.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. 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

Friday, June 07, 2019

Time & Place: Paul Edis Quartet, Jo Harrop, Vasilis Xenopoulos; Ed Cross String Quartet @ Sage Gateshead - June 6

(Review by Lance/Photos by Russell). 

Wallace and Gromit may have pulled in Sage One and, down the road, at the Stadium of Light, the Spice Girls attracted the hoi polloi but for the more discerning muso, Sage Two is the only game in town.

Time and Place, an intriguing concept conjured up by Paul Edis and executed by an A-list team that, in jazz terms, outstripped the competition from here to breakfast time.

The idea, semi-premiered at the 606 Club, involved Edis selecting a selection of songs both standard and self-penned that related to the theme so, what better way to start than with Time After Time. Jo Harrop, looking stunningly statuesque in a white creation that didn't come from Primark, took Sammy Cahn's lyrics and Jule Styne's tune and made it her own. The icing on the cake, a sensitive tenor solo by the Greek God of the tenor - Vasilis Xenopoulos.

The Ed Cross string Quartet augmented the ensemble for April in Paris with Edis taking a solo so logical it's nothing less than perfection. As he also did the arrangement (indeed all of them) the strings slotted in harmlessly bringing a Parisian feel to the tune.

The first of Paul's own compositions - a two-part piece entitled Breathing. Inspired by a TS Eliot poem, the first part a quirky instrumental waltz, the second a vocal by Jo.

Things became somewhat vague after this. Writing in the dark with a temperamental pen and no idea of 'time and place' on the page my notes became a jumbled lexicon.

Too Little Time, by Henry Mancini, I recall as a beautifully emotive song. Wise Words  and When I Was Young (both Edis with a vocal by the maestro on the latter.); A Foggy Day (complete with verse); 63 Years (an Edis composition celebrating a couple's 80th birthday after being together for the above number of years); Autumn in New York (great vocal terrific tenor).

Embrace the Silence, a tension building original, Michel Legrand's Once Upon a Summertime; Rome Wasn't Built in a Day and le pièce de résistance Some Other Time. Just voice and piano, this was surely the vocal performance of the year which is no reflection on Edis' own vocal that followed - Taking the View - but this was special.

The evening finished up with West Coast Blues and In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning. A memorable evening with superb singing, some of the best tenor sax playing around, a top rhythm section and some effective string quartet writing by Edis and played faultlessly by the string quartet.

As for Paul Edis, is there no stopping him? Surely his talents will eventually take him beyond these shores. If they do we will be both gladdened and saddened.

For those who want more of Paul and Vasi, don't bother going to The Gala this lunchtime - it's sold out! However, along with Andy Champion and Russ Morgan, they perform a quartet gig at Ushaw College near Durham tonight at 7:30pm.
Lance

Time & Place: Paul Edis (MD, piano, vocal); Jo Harrop (vocals); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums); Ed Cross String Quartet: Ed Cross (violin); Jo Montgomerie (violin); Chrissie Slater (viola); Ele Leckie (cello).

5 comments :

Patti said...

Well - words fail me - this was such a superlative gig, and Lance - you've summed it all up. It was wonderful - nothing less than that!

Chris Kilsby said...

Thanks Lance - a good summary of a great evening - what a showcase for the north east scene. For me, this eclipsed the recent (packed) Ronnie Scott's "All Stars" gig in every respect - vocals, originality, sax, piano, rhythm section, taste...

I was very keen to hear Paul's originals which have been played by Jambone. These didn't disappoint - especially my favourite, "Embrace the Silence", which never fails to send chills down the spine. NB though - the Jambone versions are different, but no less musical and accomplished!

Altogether, Paul and his superb crew did themselves (and Sage) proud - never mind talk of leaving these shores, how about investing in and building jazz here even more?!

Ian Paterson said...

I think it’s fair to say Chris that the Sage deserves little praise here....given that they are shutting down the jazz degree that Paul is head of and making him (and the rest of the department) redundant....it’s hard to see how that is investing in jazz....

Anonymous said...

In agreement with everything above, really quiet superb in every way. The only thing Paul Edis doesn't do is juggle and I wouldn't be surprised if he did that too.
Musicianship on this was top notch from everyone, simply fantastic playing and vocals. My wife who is not a jazz fan (but came for the wine) loved it too so it appealed to more than just the jazz crowd.

Russell said...

Paul does juggle...gigs, bandleader, tutoring, promoting, writing, arranging, festival organiser etc!

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