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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: ?

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Jamie McCredie @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. THIS WEEK ONLY JAMES BIRKETT (guitar)!
Fri 28: Luis Verde Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Knats @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.50. (inc bf.). Album launch gig. Support act TBC.
Fri 28: Black is the Color of My Voice @ The Gala, Durham. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, performed by Florence Odumosu.
Fri 28: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival: Musicians Unlimited @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. £10.00. (Weekend ticket £20.00., available on the door). Day 1/3. Musicians Unlimited in concert.
Fri 28: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

MARCH 2025

Sat 01: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 11:00am. £15.00. Day 2/3.
Sat 01: TJ Johnson Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Get your funk on! Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ The Watch House, Cullercoats. 2:00-3:30pm. Free.
Sat 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers. Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Struggle Buggy @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Blues band.
Sat 01: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: Jack & Jay’s Vintage Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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, September 08, 2019

Artephis @ The Globe Jazz Bar, Newcastle – September 7. A joint venture by Jazz North East and the Jazz Co-op in connection with Jazz North 'Northern Line'

Aaron Wood (trumpet, flugelhorn, electronics); James Girling (guitar); Ali Roocroft (keyboard); Alasdair Simpson (bass guitar); Matt Brown (drums)
(Review by Ann Alex/ Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).
Well, what a brilliant evening of music is all I can say, and I'm sure the full house Globe audience would agree! This was listed as 'contemporary progressive jazz' so I was unsure if I'd latch onto it, but by the second piece I was hooked. See the quotation currently shown in the Bebop Spoken There box above, something about harming musicians by categorising them, how true in this case. This was simply (but not simple) great music, describe it how you will.
Mostly original pieces and the first tune Feroz (composed by Aaron Wood) took a while to bed down in my brain; it began with grooves and a trumpet line, then a keys one, a slowing down into snatches, guitar and trumpet call and response, trumpet leads, then all play to a sudden stop, the kind of sudden stop you get from many rock bands nowadays.

Tabula Rasa (comp. Girling) began with a beautiful cool, calm 'landscape' type of feeling tune on keys, building up to a heavier, louder sound as the whole band joined the theme, with steady drumbeats towards the ending.

I hope these descriptions give readers some 'feel' for the music played. The next piece was Chagrin; Know Her (comp. Girling) and was mainly drums led. The first set concluded differently and more traditionally with a boppy number Inner Urge (Joe Henderson), which could have been sung by the likes of Sheila Jordan, and with solos all round.

I was kindly supplied with the set list during the interval and my informant declared that he would announce the tunes in the second set, which he did in an amiable manner, so full marks for communication as well as music. So he first announced Glow (comp. Aaron Wood) a slow build-up of layers of sound with a skilled guitar prog rock type solo which took me back to 1970's evenings of music and wine.

 Treading Water was influenced by a musical partita (sounds more like an Italian meal) and ended with an interesting gruff-sounding guitar. Herbie Hancock's Eye Of The Hurricane ended with a superb drum solo; February (comp Girling) was loud and wild like that month's weather and Quinoa (comp. Girling) started with rumbles, then a strong tune and 'growling' guitar. That tune came about when Girling visited a quinoa-growing region of the world and realised the problems that the farmers had to deal with.

We all demanded an encore, which was the band's take on Caravan, over a strong Latin beat.
Then we all went home, very musically satisfied.
Ann Alex

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