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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, April 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

17972 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 293 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (April 22).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

Sat 26: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Darlington. 12 noon. Free (donations).
Sat 26: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 26: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. Tickets: £12.00. + bf. Duo performance.
Sat 26: Neil Cowley Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.50.
Sat 26: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.

Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free.

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, February 23, 2020

Daniel John Martin w Swing Manouche @ Core Music, Hexham - Feb 22

Daniel John Martin (violin, vocals); Mick Shoulder (guitar); Giles Strong (guitar); Ian Paterson (double bass) 
(Review by Russell)

Daniel John Martin, or DJM as he is known, made a flying visit to the north east of England to play three gigs in as many days and conduct a workshop into the bargain. DJM's friendship with Mick Shoulder enables the Paris-based violinist to tour across the region on a regular basis. County Durham-based Shoulder acts as fixer and the gypsy jazz aficionados enjoy playing a wide variety of material together, invariably in the company of guitarist Giles Strong and, on this occasion, bassist Ian Paterson.

Thursday it was Newcastle's Jazz Co-op (see Ann Alex's review), Friday DJM was in Durham at Claypath Deli (BSH's man on the ground Tony Eales reported a successful evening up on Claypath) and Saturday found DJM and Mick Shoulder as the advance guard arriving in Hexham mid-afternoon to run a workshop at Core Music with a tour-ending Swing Manouche evening concert at the Gilesgate music resource centre.  

A 'bring-your-own-refreshments' arrangement found your reviewer carrying several bottles of beer (one of them a bottle of 'Jazz Club', a 5% coffee porter from the recently established Brewis Beer Co in Amble) and a couple of bottles of white wine all the way from Newcastle to the Northumberland market town. Core Music's ancient, intimate premises would prove to be the ideal venue to listen to DJM and Swing Manouche. 
        
Danube suggested DJM. Swing Manouche (that's Shoulder, Strong and Paterson) nodded and off they went, giving Strauss' Blue Danube (aka The Anniversary Song) a Parisian by-way-of Hexhamshire gypsy jazz treatment with its multi chorus Mick Shoulder feature. We had been going scarcely five minutes yet thoughts turned to a 'Gig of the Year' nomination!   

Let's Fall in LoveLulu Swing, Shoulder dropping no fewer than three picks (each one retrieved in a trice) on I Wish You Love (DJM's exquisite vocals), a Latin treatment given to Nature Boy with our guest's vocals and whistled/pizzicato coda - simply magical. Au Privave closed a marvellous first set with Swing Manouche firing on all cylinders. 

J'attendrai reprise des d'affaires. Oops, English, if you please! The popular pre-war song is often in Hot Club/gypsy jazz sets and Daniel John Martin and the Swing Manouche boys can do it better than most and they did just that here in Hexham. Très bien! A sublime I'll See You in My Dreams, that Gig of the Year nomination was all but assured. DJM turned to the boys: Heaven. Ah! A vocal chorus brought in Cheek to Cheek. It doesn't get any better than this with master rhythm guitarist Giles Strong cruising and bassist Ian Paterson a revelation in the Hot Club idiom. World class jazz, an intimate venue, perfection.

The 'Jazz Club' coffee porter long-since consumed, it would soon be time to brave February's elements but not before an all but obligatory Nuages (Shoulder soloing) and a DJM vocal on There'll Never be Another You. Our guest from France had enjoyed himself, so much so DJM insisted on an encore with two of the afternoon's workshop participants joining him and Swing Manouche to play All of Me. Eddie on guitar and John playing trumpet did themselves proud. The next time Daniel John Martin is in town do yourself a favour...don't miss the violin (and vocals) virtuoso.            
Russell

2 comments :

DJM said...

Dear Russell.
Thank you so much for your lovely articles.
I look forward to seeing you again (and have the time to chat maybe) next time I'm over...
Kind regards.
DJM

Unknown said...

Fantastic review `Russell. Just sorry I wasn't there to see the gig. Please look our for further intimate gigs at Core. Best regards. Mike Coleman, Core Music.

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