Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 2026)

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

19,066 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 930 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 31) 109.

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

From This Moment On

November

Fri 06: Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party @ Village Hotel, West Allotment. 12 noon. Day 1/3.
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Jazz Night: Bridget Metcalfe @ Saltburn House Hotel. From 6:00pm. Tickets: £40.00 (inc. a two-course meal & glass of Prosecco). Tel: 01287 658977.
Fri 06: The Exu + Kraabel/Harrison/Birchall @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Sat 07: Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party @ Village Hotel, West Allotment. 12 noon. Day 2/3.
Sat 07: Ewan Bleach’s Cable Street Ragtime Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington.
12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club. Superb band.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Find Your Pocket: Funk & Groove. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Red Kites Jazz @ Costa Café, St James’ Retail Park, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sat 07: Ray Stubbs’ R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 6:00pm.

Sun 08: Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party @ Village Hotel, West Allotment. 12 noon. Day 3/3.
Sun 08: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 08: Kaberry Big Band @ Forest Hall Social Club. 3:00pm. £7.00 (inc. tea & cake). Charity event for the Poppy Appeal.
Sun 08: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 09: Bechet-Spanier Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.; £5.00. Muggsy Spanier was born 125 years ago today (9 November 1901). This afternoon’s all-star quartet - from London, Lewis Taylor (cornet) & Michael McQuaid (reeds), from Paris, Félix Hunot (guitar), from London, Harry Evans (string bass) - salutes Muggsy!
Mon 09: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Bechet-Spanier Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. Muggsy Spanier was born 125 years ago today (9 November 1901). This evening’s all-star quartet - from London, Lewis Taylor (cornet), from London, Michael McQuaid (reeds), from Paris, Félix Hunot (guitar), from London, Harry Evans (string bass) - salutes Muggsy!

Tue 10: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Becky Tuck (vocals).
Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 11: Plague Doctors Cure All + Noonward @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: JANE @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 12: MoonMot + Jack Banjo’s Snackwall @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 12: Ratio: Swingin’ Through the Decades @ The Forum, Darlington. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £10.00. A charity fundraiser.
Thu 12: Look Left @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Thu 12: Michael Woods @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Acoustic blues.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Gigs of the Year - Steve T

The Blues and Soul review of the Malta Jazz Festival began with a dictionary definition of 'no brainer', so I've excluded the two gigs that would have made one and two on the basis they had an unfair advantage.

For a similar reason I've excluded Paul Edis' Jazzy Christmas gigs.

I've also excluded two exceptional gigs which generally go under the heading of progressive, even though the term jazz now seems to have the same connotations as progressive music had in the early/mid-seventies.  

It doesn't appeal to everyone, particularly those who didn't make it to Sage Gateshead, though one was Steve Hackett, Genesis' guitarist in the early/mid-seventies and you can catch him at City Hall in the Toon next Nov. and you might see where I'm coming from.

I've excluded Swing Out Sister at Cheltenham for a similar reason and one other to avoid a charge of nepotism (actually I've excluded them all to get it down to ten).

1. Kurt Rosenwinkel - Sage, Gateshead, Sept. 28.
2. Xhosa Cole Quartet - Lescar, Sheffield, Dec. 4.  
3. Dan Garel and Friends - Globe, Newcastle, Aug. 18.
4. Rymden - Cheltenham Jazz Festival, May 5.
5. Kamasi Washington –Cheltenham Jazz Festival, May 6 (See photo).
6. Laura Jurd and Friends - Sage Gateshead, Mar. 3.
7. John McLaughlin - Barbican, London, April 23.
8. Triptych - A recording studio somewhere in Newcastle, April 17.
9. Partisans - Scarborough Jazz Festival, Sept. 22.
10. Tony Kofi - Ushaw Jazz Festival – Aug. 24. 
Steve T

4 comments :

Steve T said...

Actually, the Kamasi gig was the Sage, though I have seen him at Cheltenham ( and Manchester); the Sage was the most recent and the best of the three. While I don't think he's the messiah, I'm not a Kamasi cynic (a bit like Corbyn) so I'll probably go see him next time and buy his next album.

Lance said...

Ah but Steve, then I'd have had no excuse to post the photo - "Who's that dude next to Steve?" That's what folks would be asking. I'm not sure about your ref. to Corbyn - is he doing Glastonbury again?

Steve T said...

Or who's the fat lad next to Kamasi? As I said at the time, I don't think he's either Trane or Kenny G. I'm similarly agnostic about Corbyn, and think the worst thing he's ever done was not stand aside for somebody - anybody - who would have suffered a lesser defeat.

Steve T said...

Actually I really should have included Binker at Boro (and pretty high up too). Better than Binker and Moses and better than Moses and yea, the pianist was tremendous.

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