Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 2026)

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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

From This Moment On

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Friday, April 24, 2020

10 Women in Jazz Who Never Got Their Due

Sheila Herrick kindly sent me this link to an interesting article in the New York Times.

The ten women are: Lovie Austin; Lil Hardin Armstrong; Valaida Snow; Peggy Gilbert; Una Mae Carlisle; Ginger Smock; Dorothy Donegan; Jutta Hipp; Clora Bryant; Bertha Hope Booker.

The article gives a potted biography and a recorded example of each of the subjects.

Here's another five that could have been added: Mary Osborne (guitar - Coleman Hawkins); Margie Hyams (vibes - Woody Herman, George Shearing); Dardanelle Breckenbridge (piano - Lionel Hampton); Billie Rogers (trumpet - Woody Herman); Melba Liston (trombone - Quincy Jones).
Lance

5 comments :

Patti said...

Absolutely - and let's hear it too for Cab Calloway's sister, Blanche - she was a professional jazz singer before her little brother - and the first woman to lead an all male band - her Joy Boys. All jazz fans should check her out!

Anonymous said...

Just following reading this I noticed a very recent upload of this on YouTube from Whitley Bay Jazz Party 2012. A lovely cameo of Mike Durham introducing a session of Lovie Austin's music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv-XjunGoyM



Steve T said...

Before I started reviewing for BSH I saw (the late great) Gerri Allen,Esperanza Spalding and Terri Lynne Carrington at the Barbican. The piano and drum kit were there on the stage so I don't know why this tiny creature needed to carry this enormous bass on to the stage.
About 45 minutes in, Esperanza started singing and the place erupted. Afterwards I found myself in the shop curating the rapidly depleting stocks of their albums, advising which ones feature Esperanza and which ones she sings a lot on and which ones were the best.
Definitely an I was there moment.

Lance said...

Certainly an 'I was there' moment Steve but the 3 women you mention haven't gone short of recognition.

Steve T said...

I agree Lance up to a point. None of us - including me - included any of them in our recent lists, though I confess I considered them. We all still have some way to go.

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