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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

17985(and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 306 of them this year alone and, so far, 62 this month (April 26).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Seaburn. 4:30-6:15pm. Free.
Fri 02: Nauta @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:00pm. £7.50. A ‘Nauta’s House’ gig featuring Nauta & guests Shayo Oshodi & David Gray.
Fri 02: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 02: Dom Pipkin @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Solo piano.
Fri 02: Abbie Finn Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00. + bf.

Sat 03: Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Summer Samba Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 03: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Postmodern Jukebox @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Sat 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:30pm. Free.

Sun 04: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 04: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:00-5:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 04: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 04: Ben Crosland Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 05: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. 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, September 02, 2019

Ambleside Days Festival 2019: Tim Garland Weather Walker Trio & Gwilym Simcock, Mike Walker and Friends @ Zeffirellis – August 31


(Review by Hugh C)

As in the manner of the so-called “Beautiful Game”, this event was again in two halves.  The stage was set for two gigs with the Steinway grand to the left, double bass and guitars centre stage, two drum kits and percussion on the right.

Tim Garland Weather Walker Trio
Tim Garland (saxophones, electronics); Jason Rebello (piano); Yuri Goloubev (bass). 

Despite the name of the trio, much of the set, although Garland’s material, was not from the Weather Walker CD.  Bright New Year, from Garland’s album One, featured soprano saxophone.  Rebello on piano and Goloubev on bass took alternate solos, the other subtly underpinning the soloist on their own instrument.  Ensemble passages were the focus for saxophone. 

One token standard followed (Garland emphasised the importance of playing the standards in his early days as part of Ronnie Scott’s house band):  Irving Berlin’s How Deep Is the Ocean? – or as Garland jested (“doing his bit for climate change”) “How deep is the ocean now?”  Goloubev’s solo bass introduced the rhythm with subtle references to the melody, then added to by Rebello on piano and finally the full tune with Garland on tenor. 
Rosa Ballerina was composed after the birth of Garland’s daughter.  Her first sound was apparently pitched at a loud F sharp and hence the piece was based around this (although apparently in the key of F, confusingly).  Garland reverted to soprano for this item.  As with many of the players, Garland’s family (including Rosa) were attending the festival and hosted at Derek Hook’s Yewfield guest house for the duration.

The next two items were from the Weather Walker album and were enhanced by the projection of Alastair Lee’s stunning videography onto the cinema screen behind the stage.  An example of this can be seen here  The Snows They Melt The Soonest (based on the North East folk song of the same name) featured Garland on tenor, enhanced by electronics.  Weather Walker followed, featuring soprano this time.  Samai for Peace (from One) concluded the first half.  In his “houskeeping” announcement at the beginning of the show Stuart Johnson indicated where the fire exits were “in case the band were too hot”, by the end of this final piece things were certainly at an incendiary level!
-----  
Half-time:   No orange segments, but a welcome contribution to the fluid balance by replenishment of the glass with another pint of Jazz Session.

Gwilym Simcock, Mike Walker and Friends
Gwilym Simcock (piano, keyboards); Mike Walker (guitar); Yaron Stavi (double bass, electric bass); Asaf Sirkis (drums); Bernhard Schimpelsberger (drums, percussion).

As well as new material that Simcock composed for the occasion, he also explored some of their back catalogue. The first three pieces were segued - two new compositions and a third from the back catalogue.  Shines Upon Them commenced the set.  Yaron Stavi on double bass took solos in turn with Simcock’s piano and Walker’s guitar.  The two drummers were also let out to play and Schimpelsberger took full advantage of the range of percussive opportunities in his toybox laid out in front of him.  All Along featured atmospheric keyboard from Simcock and beautiful arco bass from Stavi, Walker’s melodic guitar together with light drumming and delicate brushwork on cymbals contributed to the mix. 

Heuter Loiter was an altogether funkier affair with rhythmic left hand chords on piano, great guitar licks from Walker and fine electric bass from Stavi.  Sirkis and Schimpelsberger dueted in Indian vocal percussion – Konnakol - and also with drum solos.  Just to See You allowed Schimpelsberger to explore his toy collection again.  These both are Simcock/Walker compositions from the second Impossible Gentlemen recording, Internationally Recognised Aliens. 

Another new Simcock composition, In The Know, followed a plea from the composer to “Wish us Luck!”  Initially led by Walker’s guitar, the piano later took melodic lead with both drummers in the engine room whilst guitar and bass took a metaphorical tea break.  After the regulation period the guys re-joined the fray, Stavi having some difficulty rearranging the seven A4 sheets of music concertinaed on his music stand.  The haunting It Could Have Been a Simple Goodbye  (dedicated to the memory of John Taylor) returned a calm to the proceedings.  Tuneful melodic guitar work was to the fore in this Mike Walker composition, with assistance from Schimpelberger’s extensive percussive armoury. 

The band had by now been on stage for over an hour and it could have been a simple goodbye - this piece was a fitting finale.  However, an encore was offered with the warning that “we are going to leave you with something disturbing.  Dog Time delivered the goods, with a strange time signature or signatures which contributed to the disturbance; Yaron Stavi took up his electric bass and together with Walker, to the amusement of the audience, created barking effects.
Hugh C

1 comment :

debra said...

Both sets were fabulous, undoubtedly my gig of the year.

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