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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, 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

17904 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 225 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (March 24).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Hannabiell & Midnight Blue @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 27: Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb blues duo.

Fri 28: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00 SOLD OUT!.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm.
Fri 28: Sue Ferris Quintet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £10.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 28: Mostly Moonlight @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 28: Juliana Day & Manon McCoy @ Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00.; £10.00. advance. JNE.

Sat 29: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 29: Doris Day Story @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Sat 29: Squabble! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 30: Jan Spencelayh & Dave Archbold @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 30: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 30: Jamil Sheriff Trio w. Nadim Teimoori @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

APRIL 2025

Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Mark Robertson.
Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. 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

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Book Review: Francis Davis - In the Moment, Jazz in the 1980s

(Review by Steve T)

I got interested in this because I wanted to see how it would deal with jazz-funk and smooth jazz. I liked the former, though I think it's as relevant to soul music as jazz, but abandoned it as it descended into the latter.

Unsurprisingly, it's all but ignored but, on the odd occasion it gets a mention, it suffers the derision. The following is typical: "(violinist John) Blake served as MD for pop-jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. for five years in the mid seventies, a lucrative gig".

The book is broken down into twenty six essays and articles, mostly on specific artists and are largely as interesting as their subject.

The chapter on Wynton and Branford Marsalis is interesting because, at the time of writing, Wynton was the leading jazz musician of his generation, which isn't how most people perceive him now. 

Reading about Roscoe Shelton, I realised I'd never heard anything by the Art Ensemble of Chicago, who played the London Jazz Festival last year. Now rectified, they're like a cross between Sun Ra and the original Mothers, whom they were contemporary with

Arthur Blythe was someone I came at from the wrong end. The first time I heard of him was on the latent jazz-funk scene, and the album Put Sunshine In It whereupon the book refers to him as 'a victim of critical backlash, and in 1985, he finally caved into pressure and recorded a blatantly commercial album.    

John Lewis reminds me of my late father-in-law yelling MJQ at me, as a badge of intelligence and taste to line up with classical music, SinAtra and marching/big bands. Not to my taste and I wasn't tempted though I certainly found the chapter interesting.

Ran Blake was new to me and I await an album winging its way from Japan.

And the final chapter is of course Miles Davis, but Miles from the eighties, where nobody thought this was one of his great eras, but people still cared whether the latest album was better than the one before. As the title of the book says, it's in the moment.

With other chapters on David Murray, Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry and George Russell, it's perhaps not a classic, but is fascinating at times.     
Steve T.

Francis Davis - In the Moment, Jazz in the 1980s. Diane Publishing Co. (1996). ISBN: 9780756792190

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