Bebop Spoken There

Donovan Haffner ('Best Newcomer' 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards): ''I got into jazz the first time I picked up a saxophone!" - Jazzwise Dec 25/Jan 26

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

18146 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 24 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 7), 24

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Fri 09: The House Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 09: Nauta @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Trio: Jacob Egglestone, Jamie Watkins, Bailey Rudd.
Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Warren James & the Lonesome Travellers @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Fri 09: The Blue Kings @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv.). All-star band.

Sat 10: Mark Toomey Quintet @ St Peter’s Church, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:30pm. £12.00. (inc. pie & peas). Tickets from: 07749 255038.

Sun 11: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Milne Glendinning Band @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 13: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 15: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. Quartet + guest Paul Donnelly (guitar).

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

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

BENOIT VIELLEFON'S NEWS

We are all bored now...

Good morning everybody.
I am finally getting in touch after a very spectacular start of the year. I've been in bed with the flu for 3 weeks, then caught the Corona Virus. All the venues have closed and most of them have not paid for the gigs played in 2020. In the meantime I've paid all the musicians so I'm many thousands of £ down.

But I can't complain, as some people are dying, and suffering more than me.

For us musicians it looks really bleak. We don't expect to be able to perform live for the rest of 2020, and probably later in 2021. So I am now unemployed and have applied for Universal credits. I've always wanted to be signed to Universal, but I sign on Universal Credits instead.
I wonder now that we can't perform anymore if people would support us a little bit by listening to our music and spreading the word, sharing it.
There are a few things you can do, mostly free, since we are all bored now.


Full discography on bandcamp 35% OFF:

I finally got the time to upload 5 albums on Bandcamp, The Orchestra, The Hot Club, and the Trio. It is definitely the best music platform on the internet: THEY PAY MUSICIANS, would you believe it?


You can: Listen for free.
Buy digital downloads.
Buy the whole discography at 35% off.
Buy some CDs.
It may be just a couple of quid that you don't spend on commuting or dining out, but it really helps.
Please share that link with all your friends, a little push never hurts.

Get Google to pay their share:

That's right: everybody loves to hate the tech monopolies, but can do little about it. WRONG! You can do something:
Google owns YouTube, on which I have about 50 music videos that cost me an arm and a leg to produce over 10 years. They get advertising revenue from my content, and I don't. At the moment I can't get anything from them because a channel needs a minimum 4000 views per year (which I have) and a minimum of 1000 subscribers (which I don't have) to be eligible to get payments.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL - IT'S FREE !

Thanks to you I should be able to receive a share of the advertising that YouTube gets broadcasting my music. I'm sure it'll be a pittance, but it's always good to exercise one's rights.
I currently have 209 subscribers, and this email goes out to 7500 people, let’s see if we can make this happen... I'll be forever grateful.
Benoit Viellefon

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