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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 ...

April 2025.

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.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

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

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Ushaw Jazz Festival: Late night jam session - August 24

(Review by Russell)

It was another run of the mill jam session as three familiar faces - Messrs Edis, Grainger and Morgan - kicked things off with I'm Old Fashioned followed by Blame it on My Youth (pianist Paul Edis singing on both of them). This was to be anything but yer usual drop-by-and-have-a-blow affair.

At the end of a long day the house trio wasted no time inviting the first of the sitters-in to have a blow. This was the late night knockings of day two at the 2019 Ushaw Jazz Festival with an A-list cast queueing up at the bar. First to join the party was Birmingham Conservatoire undergraduate pianist Will Markham who wanted to take a look at Stella by Starlight. From here on in, 'til gone midnight, it was a bewildering roster of A -listers tackling the likes of It Could Happen to You and If I Should Lose You.

This 2019 edition of the Ushaw Jazz Festival late night jam session attracted and retained a sizeable audience, there for the duration. Matt Anderson (tenor), Chris Biscoe (killer alto), local hero Francis Tulip (guitar) more than holding his own, fellow Birmingham wunderkind Kai Chareunsy riding effortlessly on Russ Morgan's cymbals (our house drummer adjourning to the bar to catch up with Pete Cater) - all were up blowing, soon to be joined by the evening's star concert performer Tony Kofi to blow yet more heavy duty baritone. 

All jam sessions seem to produce a highlight among highlights and as the evening approached its end someone called Rhythm-a-ning. Now then, seemingly everyone got on board, at one point Edis, Markham and the superb Durham University undergraduate Ben Lawrence threatened to make it not a four hander but a six hander as Tulip stood his ground alongside the horns trading out front with Mr PG - that's bassist Paul Grainger - bossing it in the engine room. This was classic jam session fayre.

To close - and to give everyone a breather - Edis and Kofi played Isfahan. A memorable moment, that's for sure. Gone midnight the stand filled with every last one of the sitters-in including a belated stint from drummer Pete Cater as we went out on a blues in G. Day three - Sunday - would soon be dawning.           
Russell

Paul Edis (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums) + Will Markham (piano); Matt Anderson (tenor sax); Chris Biscoe (alto sax); Francis Tulip (guitar); Tony Kofi (baritone sax); Kai Chareunsy (drums); Ben Lawrence (piano); Pete Cater (drums).

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