Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

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 30, 2019

Jazz in the Afternoon @ Cullercoats Crescent Club - September 30

(Review by Russell)

A quintet today with Don Armstrong playing a final gig with the band before heading back to Oz. The Crescent Club's bar was doing good business on a sunny Monday lunchtime as Herbie Hudson and the boys got things under way with When You Wore a Tulip.

Lots of vocals and vocalists today (reedsman Armstrong sharing duties with HH on the opener), Ollie Rillands drumming and singing on Green Door (HH harmonica) and the first of Jazz in the Afternoon's guests - harmonica ace Brian Lynham - singing and blowing harp on Cleanhead Vinson's Kidney Stew Blues. Our No Time for Jive* frontman stayed on to form a harmonica duo with Hudson on Makin' Whoopee. 
Tradition has it that an extended interval takes the form of an unofficial middle set. Pianist Brian Chester went to the bar and with the help of pal Jimmy the Brush propped it up while Roy Gibson took a spell at the keyboard. Armstrong, soprano sax, and Hudson, trombone, knocked out top solos on I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter before being joined by John Broddle who chose to sing I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me. Mr B never fails to inject a sense of swing and on this number Armstrong's solo quoted Charlie Parker - excellent! Mr B kept it swinging with a relaxed I'll See you in My Dreams - again, excellent! 

Jazz in the Afternoon wouldn't be Jazz in the Afternoon without Teresa Armstrong. Autumn Leaves and I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby kept Teresa's legion of fans happy.  

The third set (officially the second set) heard Oz-bound Don Armstrong in fine form on Stranger on the Shore. Harmonica man Lynham rejoined the party (Mr Chester continued to prop up the bar) to make it a two-harmonica pincer movement with HH as John Broddle sang Cheek to Cheek. 

At ten to three Brian Chester returned to the stand just in time for Ollie's rock 'n' roll medley. Finally, jivers exhausted, the boys went out on The Sheik of Araby - Broddle swinging it, Chester soloing and Armstrong saying his farewells on clarinet.    
   
Herbie Hudson (trombone, harmonica, vocals); Don Armstrong (soprano sax, clarinet, vocals); Brian Chester (keyboards); Dave Percy (bass); Ollie Rillands (drums, vocals) + Brian Lynham (harmonica, vocals); Roy Gibson (keyboards); Teresa Armstrong, John Broddle (vocals).

* No Time for Jive will be in concert at the Crescent Club (in the buffet) on Friday 15 November. £4.00. Ticket hotline: 0191 280 2625. 
Russell
at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive