Bebop Spoken There

David Bailey (photographer): ''When I was 16 I wanted to look like Chet Baker. He was my idol - him and James Dean.'' (Talking Pictures documentary : Four beats to the bar and no cheating April, 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

18445 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 309 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 20 ) 43,

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

April

Thu 23: FILM: Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 6:15pm. Dir. Robert Clem (2025).
Thu 23: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 23: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 23: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra & Musicians Unlimited @ ARC, Stockton. 8:00pm. £19.00. inc. bf.

Fri 24: Noel Dennis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. Dennis, Mark Willams, Andy Champion. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Trio Grand @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Ben Vince + The Exu @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £14.33., £11.16, £8.00. A ‘jazz adjacent’ gig!
Fri 24: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £13.20 (inc. bf).
Fri 24: TBC @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.

Sat 25: Giles Strong Quartet @ Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Sat 25: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf).
Sat 25: ‘Portrait in Evans’: Noa Levy & Alan Barnes w. Paul Edis Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £24.00. Sage Two. ‘Portrait in Evans’. Levy, Barnes, Edis, Andy Champion & Steve Hanley.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 26: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ni Maxine + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sun 26: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 26: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00., £7.00.

Mon 27: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: House of Blues @ the Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £7.00., £5.00. advance. A student-led jazz session. ‘House of Blues’ is, perhaps, a misnomer.
Mon 27: Littlewood Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00 + bf, £7.00. + bf.

Tue 28: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:00pm. £10.00. + £1.00. bf. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Hackney Colliery Band @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. £25.00.

Thursday, December 05, 2019

Jam session @ The Dun Cow - Dec 4

(Review by Russell)

MC Paul Grainger had a big bucks (if only!) gig elsewhere and was quite content to leave this month's Dun Cow jam session in the more than capable hands of Giles Strong. Assisting our Tyne Valley master guitarist on a cold but dry evening were two of the very best - bassist Mick Shoulder and drummer Abbie Finn. 

The usual faces plus a few students turned out to listen and, almost without exception, sat with coats on - it was rather cold! Alone Together, Days of Wine and Roses and Love for Sale warmed up the trio and the hardy audience. Young tenor saxophonist Harry Keeble couldn't wait to get going, first with St Thomas (Mick Shoulder's slap bass solo something of a rarity at a jam session) following up with Nica's Dream. HK would return.

Stax Brothers' Jeff put in an appearance - In a Mellotone with a full-toned tenor sound and, inquiring of Strong if he knew A Smooth One, our master guitarist nodded, he knew it alright! - and it would be good to see him pitch in at other sessions around town. 

Kay Usher arrived, plugged in and, typical of our violinist, didn't overstay her welcome. This evening's contribution - Out of Nowhere and Dindi - with Kay, as classical musicians do, applauding her fellow musicians for their expert supporting contribution. 

A brief interval then up stepped the third of the session's tenor players - George Sykes. Coltrane's Lonnie's Lament (Sykes confided this was his first public airing of the number) and Night in Tunisia with Joel Shaw spelling Abbie Finn. 

Keeble joined Sykes for, as someone said, 'a sax frenzy' - cue There Will Never be Another You. Excellent playing all round. Sykes sat out as Keeble tore into Giant Steps. A definite highlight, not only did Keeble tear it up, Strong demonstrated why he is an A-lister with some scintillating work. At its conclusion GS scratched his head as if to say: How did I manage to negotiate that?! 

And that was about it save for a Now's the Time blues. Abbie Finn back behind the traps (in Max Roach fizzing cymbals mode), Harry and George trading, Giles and Mick purring, this was as good a finale as one could hope for.    
Russell
      
Giles Strong (guitar); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums) + Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Stax brothers' Jeff (tenor sax); George Sykes (tenor sax); Kay Usher (violin); Joel Shaw (drums). 
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