March
Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. 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
Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.
Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!
Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).
Our historian in Hong Kong, Colin, came up with an interesting article and photo of the George Evans Orchestra which was resident at the Oxford Galleries, Newcastle, from 1951 to 1958. 
9 comments :
He used to turn up at The Porthole near the North Shields ferry landing and ask Munro Sutherland if he minded him sitting in for a few numbers. What a nice man and, of course, super tenor. I used to dep occasionally for Derek Dixon and it was an education and pleasure to stand behind him . On one occasion I had also brought my tuba - and he never complained! When I wanted to buy a bass sax George was very helpful, even steering me away from one that had been made out of two old ones.
I wonder what happened to his arrangements? I think Stan Coates had some from the Geraldo Orchestra.
For a while Stan Coates' band rehearsed at West Denton Social Club (the venue must have been down to Scotty Adair) and George Evans came along to work with the band. As John said, it was an education to work with him, likewise it was an education simply to sit and listen.
I once asked George what happened to the arrangements he'd done for Geraldo, and he told me he'd made a big bonfire in the back garden and burnt them! Oh dear!
Here’s my Dad with George - on telly in the early 80’s. George was such a lovely man. He and Dad used to have regular jam sessions in our house and I used to sit on the floor and listen for ages! Lovely memories 🙂
Dad played in his big band too, around the same time
https://youtu.be/tZyvZDgFskw
...and I remember going to listen to them play at The Grey Horse in Boldon. It was never terribly well attended but that didn’t matter - the music was always fab and it was a privilege to hear George play (and of course Roy).
Alan Rudd kindly pointed me in the direction of an article by Leslie Evans on his brother George Evans which is very interesting. I have added the link to the originnal post so, Steve, maybe he didn't have a bonfire after all!
Stan Coates told me that he had George Evans' arrangements. There was certainly a huge amount of stuff in his garage! However, these could have been for Geraldo. In any event, the contents of Stan's garage went to a bari player in the BBC Big Band. A white van arrived and was loaded up with everything - including all the pre-WW2 'Mickey Mouse' stocks and also Alistair Atkinson's library which Stan had promised me! Stan also had some of the special mutes handmade by George but I don't know where they ended up.
The Geraldo library, including all of the arrangements George did for that band, are all at the Royal College of Music, perfectly preserved. Stan gave his library to Jay Craig - not sure where it is now. Wonderful to see this photo of the Oxford Galleries band - must be the early 50s because the guitar was dropped quite early on…
Excellent news. Catherine Tackley will be pleased! I have some files and photos about George which Stan’s son gave me after he died. By then, Alistair Atkinson’s library and the other Stocks had been collected by Jay Craig.
I would be happy to pass my Evans material on, provided it is available to researchers, etc. hallamjohn46@outlook.com
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