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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, 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

17957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 278 of them this year alone and, so far, 34 this month (April 14).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Sun 20: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 20: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 20: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 21: Newcastle Record Fair @ Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle. 10:00am. Going in search of the Buddy Bolden cylinder…
Mon 21: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

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

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Alter Ego @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle - September 24

Keith Robinson (alto sax); Niall Armstrong (tenor sax, flute); Dave Hignett (trumpet, flugelhorn); Graham Don (keyboards); Tony Abell (bass); David Johnson (drums)
(Review by Russell)

On a rainy Tuesday evening Prohibition Bar opened its doors to host two events - a self-defense course and a gig. Decisions! Decisions! Your correspondent deftly skirted past Inspector Clouseau and Cato to take the stairs to the first floor performance venue to catch Alter Ego. 

It had been a while since BSH last heard Keith Robinson and co. In the interim a couple of new faces - Graham Don, piano and David Johnson, drums - had joined the core unit of Robinson, fellow reedsman Niall Armstrong, Tynedale's brassman Dave Hignett and bassist Tony Abell. 

The set list comprised familiar numbers and some new charts. Blues Marx for starters (Armstrong, tenor, Hignett, trumpet, Don, keys, taking the solos) followed by Red Blues (composed by erstwhile band pianist Andy Hawking) featuring Robinson's searing alto sax. A good, solid start. 

A tasty Bacon Sandwich smothered in Armstrong's flute relish took the form of a samba topped off by a driving drum solo by debut boy David Johnson. The region is a hotbed of young percussion talent, add the name of D Johnson to the roll call. Armstrong's Dog Leap Bounce is often in Alter Ego's set list and this Pink Lane engagement offered another opportunity to hear it - good stuff it was too, not least Dave Hignett's fleet-fingered solo.

Tony Abell's clever arrangement of Not Moanin' revealed its inspiration - no surprises for guessing the classic Blue Note number! JJ Johnson's In Walked Bud featured Armstrong's tenor sax supported by David Johnson's kicking bass drum accents. A fine first set drew to a close with a blistering take on Hank Mobley's Roll Call (Hignett, trumpet, Robinson, alto, Don, keyboards).

Opening the second set, bassist Tony Abell soloed on his own composition Deva, as did pianist Don, the Strictly Smokin' man arguably producing the solo of the night. Sometimes at a gig, announcements can be misheard...Quasimodo was actually Quasimodal (thanks to KR for the correction) with a fluent flugelhorn solo from TVBB MD Hignett. Similarly, one member of the audience heard Monster Mash when in fact it was Niall Armstrong's funky Mustard Mash!

Titles can be misheard, some titles are all but impossible to spell or pronounce - try Welshman Tony Abell's Llangranog Blues! No matter, it's a good tune. Band members' compositions invariably delight in amusing/confusing in equal measure, a couple of good examples being Word Association Football Blues and How Low the Sun, the latter adopting a similar chord progression to - have a guess...How High the Moon

Alter Ego is a fine band comprising seasoned performers and the new kid on the block, David Johnson. Catch them next month (Oct 24) at the Newcastle Jazz Co-op.    
Russell       

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