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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

Sun 16: MOBO Song @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 12 noon. Free, performances on the concourse. Line-up inc. Jazz Attack (on stage time TBC) & Jambone (12:20pm).
Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt 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. .

Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Matt Forster Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 17: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Jazz Milestones - 1975.
Thu 20: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 20: Orange Claw Hammer + Peony @ The Globe, Newcastle.7:30pm. Orange Claw Hammer play Captain Beefheart.
Thu 20: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Featuring special guest Zoë Gilby.

Fri 21: JazzMain @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 21: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 21: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 21: Joe Steels Trio @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. TBC.
Fri 21: Emma Rawicz w. Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

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

Tuesday, January 07, 2020

CD Review: Laura Noejovich - Laura Has New Standards

Laura Noejovich (voice); Takeshi Asai (piano)
(Review by James Henry)

Laura Has New Standards is a clever play on words, and in this debut album Laura Noejovich gives us a mixture of old standards in new ways, and other less familiar songs that might become new standards.

Laura Noejovich has an unusual background for an aspiring jazz singer. Originally trained as an opera singer, she then completed a degree in neurosciences in Skidmore College, NY, where she is currently a laboratory associate.  In this debut album Laura Noejovich is accompanied on piano by Takeshi Asai, originally from Japan but now based in New York, and an alumnus of Berklee College. Restricting the accompaniment to piano without a conventional rhythm section is a bold thing to do on a debut album, and Noejovich’s classical training and presence help her carry this off.

Noejovich has a strong vocal presence, with incredible power and dynamic range, as well as a phenomenal vocal range: she is able to hit long low dusky notes and then soar to great heights without becoming shrill. Takeshi Asai matches Noejovich’s vocal strength with an intense but sensitive piano accompaniment.

There are some lovely surprises in this selection. Why Don’t You Do Right by Kansas Joe McCoy is a hard times blues from the 1930’s which Noejovich begins confidently a capella and rubato, to be joined after six bars by Takeshi.  Noejovich is at her best in the more bluesy numbers, and Dreamer’s Ball (Brian May/Queen) is an utter treat. She also has a feel for show tunes, and Funny Honey from Chicago gets the full theatrical treatment. Quieter and more lyrical moments include a folksy interpretation of Lennon and McCartney’s The Fool on the Hill, with a quirky accompaniment by Asai. Once Upon A Dream (Wildhorn, from Jekyll and Hyde) and On My Own (Les Miserables) get the full wistful but hopeful stage treatment.  Standards don’t get much more standard than Gershwin tunes, and there is a huge powerful version of Summertime balanced by a lyrical and at times operatic Someone to Watch Over Me.

Laura Has New Standards is an impressive debut album. It is difficult to classify in many ways. Bits of it would be jazz in anyone’s book, some of it has to be musical theatre, and some of it is frankly operatic. Likewise, Noejovich’s vocal range is so huge I can’t decide whether she is an alto or a soprano.  But does it matter if we can’t slot music into pigeonholes?  Not a bit: just enjoy it for what it is.  Eclectic and classy sums this album up best of all.
James Henry     
Enchanted Meadow Records, November 2019

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