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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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 11: Steve Summers Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Free. Inc. Olly Styles (tenor sax).
Thu 13: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: Artist Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Hannabiell & Midnight Blue.
Thu 13: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 12:30-1:30pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 16: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: BBC Introducing NE X MOBO Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Jambone, Knats, Rivkala, SwanNek.
Sun 16: The Shayo Experience @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 16: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 16: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

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, December 08, 2019

Ben Gilbert Trio @ The Globe - Dec 7

Ben Gilbert (piano); Elliot Roffe (double bass); John Arnesen (drums)
(Review by Russell)

The Blofeld Experiment, Extreme Measures, that was more than a decade ago, since when Ben Gilbert relocated to London and more recently set up home in Leeds. Earlier in the day our pianist conducted a successful Jazz Co-op workshop at Sage Gateshead before meeting up with Elliot Roffe and John Arnesen to play a debut trio gig at Jazz Co-op HQ on Railway Street in Newcastle. 

The hordes descended on Railway Street (most of them making their way to the Arena!) and by eight o'clock a jazz crowd had taken its seats in the Globe's first floor performance space. Cole Porter's (You'd be so) Easy to Love introduced the trio; sparkling swing time, waltz time, bassist Elliot Roffe's solo instantly confirming his A-list credentials, similarly John Arnesen's hugely impressive drumming taking it out. Quite a start! Richard Rodgers, Kenny Wheeler, Wayne Shorter, Ben Gilbert had put together a choice set list, Shorter's Backstage Sally from the reedsman's days with the Jazz Messengers particularly effective with another fine contribution from Arnesen. Bandleader Gilbert chose to close the first set with an original composition - A Beautiful Summer. The Bad Plus and EST sprung to mind. 
   
Second set: Miles Davis' take on Frank Loesser's If I Were A Bell opened the show and what a show it turned out to be! A real swinger it was and a favourite tune followed - Oliver Nelson's Stolen Moments. No horn arrangement, of course, but all three musicians - Gilbert, Roffe and Arnesen - pitched in with excellent solos. Time for a bop era standard - Monk's In Walked Bud. An evocative title if ever there was one - imagine TS Monk on stage at the Five Spot and the man walks in! Gilbert clearly likes Wayne Shorter's compositions, our pianist choosing Infant Eyes from Speak No Evil.  

As closing time loomed Gilbert thanked band mates Roffe and Arnesen for their sterling efforts and the Jazz Co-op's attentive audience for turning out on a mid winter evening. Drummer Jeff Hamilton's Gina's Groove set up a most musical of musical bass 'n' drums conversations with Gilbert clearly happy with how things had gone. It had been an excellent evening of GASbook to contemporary jazz...just imagine how the trio will sound with a couple of dozen gigs under its belt!         
Russell.

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