Bebop Spoken There

Jools Holland (on his 2026 spring/summer tour): ''With the mighty [R&B] Orchestra, our wonderful boogie woogie singers, and the brilliant Joe Webb opening the shows [including Darlington Hippodrome, June 19], we're in for some very special evenings of music.'' The Northern Echo February 5, 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

18263 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 117 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 6), 17

From This Moment On ...

February

Sat 07: The Big Easy @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. St Thomas & Bésame Mucho. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Side Cafe Oᴙkestar @ Café Under the Spire, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Table reservations: 0191 477 3970.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Swing Tyne @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Donations. Swing dance taster class (12:30pm) + Hot Club de Heaton (live performance). Non dancers welcome.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 09: Mark Williams Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington.. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 12: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 13: Noel Dennis Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00. Dennis (trumpet, flugelhorn); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 13: Joe Steels @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 13: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm.
Fri 13: Tom Remon & John Moriarty @ The Ship Isis, Silksworth Row, Sunderland SR1 3QJ. 7:00pm. £10.00 + £1.00 bf.

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, April 18, 2020

James and Francis' New list idea: Ten favourite improvisers, not necessarily ones who are considered the greats...

1. Joe Henderson; 2. Freddie Hubbard; 3. Woody Shaw; 4. Trane; 5. Sonny Rollins; 6. Kenny Barron; 7. Tom Harrell; 8. Stan Getz; 9. Bird; 10. Booker Little
(James Metcalf)

----- 

1. Joe Henderson; 2. Freddie Hubbard; 3. Mike Moreno; 4. Trane; 5. Kenny Garrett; 6. McCoy Tyner; 7. Herbie Hancock; 8.Chick Corea; 9. Wayne Shorter; 10. Sonny Rollins
(Francis Tulip)

6 comments :

Lance said...

Great lists. And I think that all of the above would, today, be rated as greats. This opens another train (Trane?) of thought. Perhaps some of our older listeners, i.e. those younger than me, might care to offer their lists of favourites from earlier decades - come in Methuselah...

Steve Andrews said...

Hi Lance, Methuselah here! This is my list, written at twenty to one over the remains of a large vegetarian Grouse (a Famous Grouse) - by tomorrow it will probably have changed! In no particular order: Louis Armstrong (no.1, absolutely!!!), Bix Beiderbecke, Henry "Red" Allen, Coleman Hawkins, Lester "Red" or "Pres" Young, Benny Carter, Artie Shaw, Teddy Wilson, George van Eps, Stuff Smith.

Russell said...

Favourite rather than greatest - there is an endless list! Ten, off the top of my head, no particular order...Lewis Watson (in full flight, no one better!), Roland Kirk (ditto), Louis Armstrong, Taylor Ho Bynum (check him out, James!), Paul Rutherford, John Zorn, Graeme Wilson, Paul Edis, Joe Morris (check him out, Francis!), James Birkett (a master improviser on a melody).

Steve T said...

Ten great improvisers: Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, John McLaughlin.

Ten favourite jazz artists, not on previous lists: Ben Webster, Gerry Mulligan, Clifford Brown, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Joe Zawinul, Eddie Henderson, Stanley Clarke, Zakir Hussain, David Murray.

Lance said...

Ten favourite tenor players - not necessarily the greatest but the ones that float my boat the most with apologies to Wayne, Trane, Sonny, Joe and Hawk.

In alphabetical order: Ben Webster; Brew Moore; Dexter Gordon; Guy Lafitte; Hank Mobley; Lester Young; Stan Getz; Tubby Hayes; Wardell Gray; Zoot Sims.

Living tenor players still active: Benny Golson; Courtney Pine, Dave O'Higgins; Eric Alexander; Karen Sharp: Leo Richardson; Paul Booth; Simon Spillett; Troy Roberts; Vasilis Xenopoulos.

Steve T said...

Ten names I'm surprised didn't make either of the 'lists' posts:
Roy Eldridge, Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Ornette Coleman, Dave Holland, Keith Jarrett, Jaco Pastorius, Kurt Rosenwinkel.
Not to mention all those drummers.

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