Bebop Spoken There

John Donegan: ''What you take in through your ears can come out through your fingers.'' (Notes to Which Direction October, 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

19,057 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 921 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 29) 100.

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.

Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 31: Saltburn Big Band + Durham Alumni Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Sat 31: East Coast Swing Band @ Cramlington Village Club, Park View, Cramlington NE23 6QJ. 7:30pm. £10.00. (from venue).

November

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet w. special guest Donna Hewitt (tenor sax, clarinet)
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Sarah Heneghan Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 03: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. guest tba
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.
Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: An Evening of Erykah Badu @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 7:30pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Hejira - Celebrating Joni Mitchell @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Cut Capers @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors).
Thu 05: Northern Reaches @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Pete Tanton, Joe Steels, Laurence Blackadder, John Hirst.
Thu 05: Fergus McCreadie @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Thursday, August 01, 2019

Review: Claire Martin & Jim Mullen - Bumpin'

Claire Martin (vocal); Jim Mullen (guitar ); Mads Bærentzen (piano); Thomas Ovesen (bass); Kristian Leth (drums).
(Review by Lance).

Still the CDs arrive - the chances of an artist getting a review are now down to about 1% unless more reviewers come forth. I know I could just cut and paste the press releases which, to me, is the easy way out but not necessarily the ethical one.

However, because of this selectivity, when a CD does grace these pages you can guarantee that it's 5* and counting.

This is just such an album. I know the girls are on the march and I don't think the UK has ever had such a formidable distaffian army storming the jazz citadel. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester, Barnsley, Chesterfield, London, Canterbury and - in this case - Brighton, the jazz voice lives.
Claire Martin has it all - perfect pitching, intelligent interpretation of the lyric, the ability to convey the words in a meaningful manner. Truth is, I think Claire could make How Much is that Doggie in the Window? sound like something by Cole Porter or George Gershwin! 

Fortunately, that challenge doesn't arise here, instead the album is dedicated to Wes Montgomery and who better to assist her in this endeavour than Jim Mullen?

As with jazz singers, there is no shortage of jazz guitarists. Where the line thins out is when it comes to the Jim Mullens of this world - just as there is only one Claire - so there is only one Jim.

Put this duo on top of an ace Danish rhythm section, add the inspiration of Wes Montgomery's recordings to the mix and you have l'elisir d'amore jazzwise.

Surprisingly, most of the tracks are standards that, presumably, Wes recorded during his short but prolific (and influential) lifetime. The only  actual Wes compos are Road Song, West Coast Blues, I Could Get Used to This (Bumpin'), Back in the Room (Bock to Bock).  This latter track is actually by Wes' brother Buddy and the words are by Claire's fellow Brightonian singer/songwriter Imogen Ryall described by Claire in the August edition of Jazzwise as "A hidden diamond".

The others are exquisite interpretations of : Willow Weep For Me, 'Round Midnight, If You Could See me Now, Goin' Out of my Head, Born to be Blue, The End of a Love Affair.

It doesn't come any better than this.
Claire Martin can be heard with SSBB at Hoochie Coochie on October 20 - book now!
Lance.
Available on Stunt Records - CD or LP - release date August 23.
Try/buy.
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1 comment :

Unknown said...

Oh my! Jeff Brown played 'I could get used to this - bumpin' on Jazz FM yesterday and it made my day. I agree with your review - Claire Martin is pitch perfect
and together with Jim Mullen has made a great album. 5*

Monday, October 14, 2019 3:56:00 pm

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