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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 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

17985(and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 306 of them this year alone and, so far, 62 this month (April 26).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

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 + SH#RP Collective with Lindsay Hannon - open rehearsal.

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. Guests: Jeremy McMurray (piano); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Mark Hawkins (drums); Adrian Beadnell (bass).

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Seaburn. 4:30-6:15pm. Free.
Fri 02: Nauta @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:00pm. £7.50. A ‘Nauta’s House’ gig featuring Nauta & guests Shayo Oshodi & David Gray.
Fri 02: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 02: Dom Pipkin @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Solo piano.
Fri 02: Abbie Finn Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00. + bf.

Sat 03: Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Summer Samba Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 03: Struggle Buggy @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 03: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Postmodern Jukebox @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Sat 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:30pm. Free.

Sun 04: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 04: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:00-5:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 04: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 04: Boys of Brass @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Ben Crosland Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 05: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 06: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Delaval. 12:30pm. £14.00. Tel: 0191 237 3697. ‘Victory in Europe Afternoon Tea’ (VE Day 80th anniversary).
Tue 06: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.
Tue 06: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, North St., Ferryhill DL17 8HX. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 06: FILM: Whiplash @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 8:15pm.

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

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Jam Session @ the Black Swan Jazz Café - March 10

 (Review by Lance)

There were a few absentees in tonight's audience. Some had flown to Chicago to review the Bix Festival in Wisconsin whilst others opted to stay at home for environmental health reasons. Fortunately, that didn't deter the musicians who as usual gave it 101%.

The evening's house trio set the pace with Tangerine, The Look of Love and Blue Bossa as the room was soon filled with bodies carrying instrument cases.

First up was Ferg setting a jam session precedent by tuning up - it may catch on. The youngest player (only in years) elected to play I Remember Clifford, the Benny Golson tune written as a tribute to that great trumpet player Clifford Brown - no pressure there then! Suffice to say that 'Brownie' didn't turn over in his grave!


Someday my Prince Will Come swung as jazz waltzes should do but often don't. Harry Keeble paired up with Ferg for Beatrice and Recorder Me and we moved into hard bop Blue Note territory. By this time Ferg was blowing with confidence and matched Harry on some scintillating four bar exchanges - both horn players spurred on by Abbie's drums.

David Gray and Ray Johnson were the next pairing with  Harrison the younger (Charles) on guitar. Showtime had warmed up during the afternoon playing with Classic Swing at a Monkseaton hostelry and his lip was well and truly in. Veteran Johnson's lip is never out so it was no surprise that they took  The Lady is a Tramp for a ride she won't forget. 500 Miles High followed, the Prince of Slides was in machine gun mode - maybe he too should be in Chicago.

Steve Summers dropped by for Like Someone in Love that also had some nice playing by Charles on guitar.

Time to take five - literally - and a chance to chat with an amiable chap sharing a table with me. Needless to say I gave him a BSH card drawing attention to the site's Parliamentary Jazz Award back in 2018. He mentioned that his wife was a member of The House of Lords. Richard Hardman, for that was the gentleman's name, informed me that he was a former journalist (The Times, no less and I was thinking ' no pressure' for Ferg!)
Nice guy.

The show recommenced, and I use the word  'show' intentionally, with a couple of numbers from the inimitable Niffi. Nobody quite shakes it like this girl. She's a mover! After You've Gone and Sweet Georgia Brown had the room rockin'. Michael Mather was on drums and George and Ed doodled around as Niffi went for the jugular.

It was now a question of follow that if you dare! Wisely, Jan didn't fight fire with fire, instead she offered contrast with a smoky tune I didn't recognise - Joni Mitchell perhaps? For All the Things You Are the second of the Harrison brothers joined the ensemble along with Steve and a few more horns and Jan did good as, indeed, she always does.

For once, there was a bass player in the house enabling Paul to rest his fingers. Nathan Mays, a new name to me, slotted in nicely his sound totally different to Paul's. A Jobim song that had Intuit in the title was followed by the late McCoy Tyner's Contemplation. The elder Harrison blasted what may well have been the solo of the night.

The evening was drawing to a close but not before Kerry whose A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square was sheer class. I believe she was/is a member of the vocal group Scarlet Street. Impressive!

As ever, it was all hands on deck for the final Caravan. Short solos ensured a fair crack of the whip (so to speak) was had by all and nobody missed the last bus.

Another good one which would have been impossible without Stu, Paul and Abbie.
Lance

Stu Collingwood (keys); Paul Grainger (bass); Abbie Finn (drums) + Ferg Kilsby, Ray Johnson (trumpet); Ed Bell (cornet); David 'Showtime' Gray (trombone); Harry Keeble, Steve Summers, George Sykes; (tenor sax); Charles & Laurence Harrison (guitar); Nathan Mays (bass); Michael Mather (drums); Niffi Osiyemi, Jan Spencelayh, Kerry Green (vocals).

2 comments :

Jan said...

Hi Lance.

The first song I sang was 'Spooky', which I know from the 1970 Dusty Springfield version. However, as we can see below, it was originally written as an instrumental piece for sax - which is, I guess, why a sax solo works so well in it. From Wikipedia:

"Spooky" was originally an instrumental song performed by saxophonist Mike Sharpe (Shapiro), written by Shapiro and Harry Middlebrooks Jr, which first charted in 1967 hitting #57 on the US pop charts. Its best-known version was created by James Cobb and producer Buddy Buie for the group Classics IV when they added lyrics about a "spooky little girl". The vocalist was Dennis Yost The song is noted for its eerie whistling sound effect depicting the spooky little girl. It has become a Halloween favourite. In 1968, the vocal version reached #3 in the U.S. (Billboard Hot 100) and #46 in the UK.


I must say, I thought Steve's solo in it last night was terrific.

Another great night - I'm always amazed by the talent that this jam attracts. Huge thanks to the in-house trio and, particularly to Paul, who sets this up every fortnight and never disappoints.

Jan

Unknown said...

Correction:

It wasn't Steve who performed the Sax solo in Spooky and it wasn't Harry - that leaves George

Apologies George - Your solo in Spooky was terrific!

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