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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

18018 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 339 of them this year alone and, so far, 17 this month (May 7).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Thu 15: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: The Greatest in Jazz - Guitarists.
Thu 15: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 15: New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). John Garner & John Pope.

Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Sophie Speed with the Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 16: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 16: Giles Strong Quartet @ Longframlington Memorial Hall. 7:00pm (doors). Tickets: £12.00. from 01665 570984.
Fri 16: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £10.00.
Fri 16: Peter Donegan & Anthony Donegan @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. ‘Lonnie Donegan - The Stories’.

Sat 17: Teresa Watson Band @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 17: The Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Tel: 0191 500 9494. £26.00 (inc. two course meal). Line-up: Jason Holcomb, Hannah Taylor, Alix Shepherd & Abbie Finn.
Sat 17: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 17: Archie Brown & the Young Bucks @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues, Americana etc.
Sat 17: Rockin’ Turner Brothers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Rockabilly, Western swing etc.

Sun 18: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Ruth Lambert & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 18: Steve Summers Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 19: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.
Tue 20: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth NE61 1ND. 8:00pm.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
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.

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, July 29, 2019

Sotavento Big Band @ the Globe Jazz Bar - July 28

(Review/PHOTOS by Lance).

Their third UK tour and their second visit to the Jazz Coop's main theatre of operations, the Sotavento Big Band from Argentina once again put on a show.

It's an intriguing concept, jazz played over a mainly, but not always, tango rhythm. It's also a dangerous one - would the jazz audience accept the tango and would the dancers take to the jazz?

The question was answered by the jazz folk in the crowded downstairs bar with muchas solicitudes de encore whereas only one couple danced, admittedly gracefully and with the unconscious  sensual element the tango inevitably evokes - so much so that, had there been a tango tutor to hand, I myself would have been doing a new-fangled tango - however, it does take two...

From a jazz point of view, 7 saxes, 1 trumpet and no trombones doesn't offer the tonal variations of the standard big band line-up even though some of the saxes were taking on the role of trombone and 2nd/3rd trumpet. Nevertheless, once the intonation had been adjusted, it was a good sound.

Leader Firmenich is the outstanding soloist blowing blistering baritone. I'd have liked to have heard him in a small group setting. The other two tenor soloists had their moments, one of whom blew tasty clarinet. Pianist Calderon who, it was pointed out, looked uncannily like Newcastle's recently departed manager Benitez, took the occasional chorus and, likewise, trumpet hombre Vargas and la Senorita Crnko on alto also had moments of glory.

Drummer Crespo drove Caravan like a man possessed but it was bass guitarist Cor who caused the bass guitarist who was sharing our table  to utter "cor!" after his solo on the same number.

On Sotavento's previous visit, Patricia Leguizamon was sensational this time the balance did her no favours and she wasn't heard to best advantage on numbers such as More and Lady is a Tramp.

An enjoyable evening nevertheless.
Lance
PS: As most of the numbers had Spanish titles I made no attempt to make a note of them!
PHOTOS (link)
Gustavo Firmenich (MD, baritone sax); Andrés Veltri, Miguel Bensadón, Horacio Baldassarre, Duilio Giri (tenor saxes); Sergio Cisneros (clarinet, tenor sax); Florencio Crnko (clarinet, alto sax); Emanuel Vargas (trumpet); Enrique Gallo Calderon (piano); Cristian Cor (bass guitar); Fernando Crespo (drums); Patricia Leguizamon (vocals).

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