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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

18043 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 364 of them this year alone and, so far, 42 this month (May 15).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Sat 17: Teresa Watson Band @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 17: The Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Tel: 0191 500 9494. £26.00 (inc. two course meal). Line-up: Jason Holcomb, Hannah Taylor, Alix Shepherd & Abbie Finn.
Sat 17: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 17: Archie Brown & the Young Bucks @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues, Americana etc.
Sat 17: Bellavana @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30-10:00pm. Free. A Late Shows event.
Sat 17: Rockin’ Turner Brothers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Rockabilly, Western swing etc.
Sat 17: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Newcastle City Library. 9:00-10:00pm. Free. A 'Late Shows' event.

Sun 18: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 12 noon-2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Ruth Lambert & Giles Strong @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 18: Steve Summers Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 19: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.
Tue 20: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth NE61 1ND. 8:00pm.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 21: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public). b Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 22: Nuevo Castillo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £5.00.
Thu 22: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:30-9:15pm. Free.
Thu 22: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 23: Dean Stockdale Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. ‘Celebrating Oscar’.
Fri 23: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 23: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Joe Steels Group @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. + £1.55. bf. A Northumberland Jazz Festival fringe event.
Fri 23: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 23: Gaz Hughes Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.
Fri 23: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £19.00.; £17.00. ‘Time After Time’.

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 29, 2019

Gigs of the Year - James Metcalf


 1.           Ingrid and Christine Jensen with the Whirlwind Recordings  Orchestra at  the Bonningdon Theatre, Nottingham (14th of November) My favourite living trumpet  player, one of the best alto players and composers working today, a truly all-star big band  of top tier British and American musicians and £5 student tickets. Nice. 

      2.        Tom Harrell Quartet at Ronnie Scotts, London (7th of October) One of the true players' players and another personal idol, fronting what is in my opinion the most slept on band in New York featuring Danny Grissett, Ugonna Okegwo, Johnathan Blake and (unfortunately absent from this gig) Wayne Escoffery. The last ten years may well have been the most fruitful period yet for Harrell's compositions and he shows no sign of slowing as he approaches 74. If Escoffery or regular collaborator Charles Altura had managed to put in an appearance this would have been gig of the year no question.


3.      Jochen Rueckert Quartet at Malta Jazz Festival (18th of July) I went into this gig thinking Mike Moreno was pretty good, I came out utterly in awe of him. There's a reason my pal Francis Tulip won’t shut up about Moreno, he's every bit as good as Frank hypes him up to be and better. The other two members of the band on this occasion were the equally legendary Chris Cheek and Matt Penman. Kiwi-born Penman mentioned he has family ties to the North East, anyone reckon they could get him to bring a band on his next visit?

4.      Kenny Garrett Quintet at Malta Jazz Festival (20th of July) This man needs no introduction. Hearing The Real Kenny G and band play tunes from across his varied career was every bit as phenomenal as you'd expect and was the perfect way to close this year's Malta Jazz Festival, which has hosted plenty of other renowned bands over the years for a surprisingly low price (with cheap flights from Newcastle to boot). Would recommend. I'm to the right of the photo with Francis, centre, and Kenny Garrett , left.

5.      Terrence Blanchard and the E-Collective at CBSO Centre, Birmingham (29th of March) An early hero of mine playing hard grooving music with an incredible band (Featuring the aforementioned Charles Altura) and a light show to match, Blanchard left as deep an impression on me here as he did 3 years ago at Sage Gateshead.

6.      Unity Quartet at Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham (30th of March) Nottingham based Piano/Organ player Matt Radcliffe's quartet paying tribute to Larry Young's 1965 classic Unity, featuring some of the best of the current Birmingham scene, namely: Chris Bowden (Tenor), Tymek Jozwiak (drums) and top UK trumpet player Percy Pursglove. Shoutout to DJ Hemulen for a banger-filled Jazz/Latin/Afrobeat set afterwards as well.

7.      Nadim Teimoori Quintet at Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham (January or February) This was originally intended to be a quartet gig as part of Hugh Pascall's ever popular residency at Peggy's until Nadim Teimoori was invited to join the band, with gig being relisted under his name. The result was two sets of pure gold from Hugh and Nadim, alongside John Turville, James Owston and Euan Palmer. In the end the band clicked so well that Teimoori has made this his working quintet. I may have heard rumours of a possible future recording which if true will be an absolute winner, but either way this band is definitely one to watch.

8.       Hugh Pascall Quartet at Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham (28th of March) If Hugh lived in London or Birmingham, you would likely know his name. Once a month the undeservedly obscure Nottingham legend gathers a quartet from the best of the London and Birmingham scenes to run through selected tunes from a varied repertoire ranging from Cole Porter to Kenny Wheeler and beyond. This particular edition featured Rick Simpson, Dave Whitford and Tim Giles although in the year and a half or so that this residency has been running it has also featured John Turville, Chris Young, Nick Jurd, James Owston, Jim Bashford, Euan Palmer, Will Glaser and many more...

9.      Xhosa Cole Quartet at Cherry Red's Birmingham (23rd of January) My first and possibly my most memorable night in Brum, the then recently crowned BBC Young Jazz Musician Xhosa worked through 2 sets of incredibly sincere hard bop backed by an equally brilliant rhythm section. This was probably the most densely packed venue I have been in and a definite contender for the best gig atmosphere I have ever experienced.

10.  AKU! at Durham Jazz Festival (9th of June) Three of the best twentysomething musicians this country has to offer playing jazz you can mosh to, oioi. #MakeDoomJazzGreatAgain #Wei.
      James


2 comments :

Anonymous said...

Great list! List of the year... Lovely words to go with each gig too. Lez

Lance said...

Agreed
100%!

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