April 2025.
Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.
Sat 26: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Darlington. 12 noon. Free (donations).
Sat 26: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 26: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. Tickets: £12.00. + bf. Duo performance.
Sat 26: Neil Cowley Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.50.
Sat 26: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.
Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Tue 29: ???
2 comments :
I’ve always enjoyed Grant Green’s guitar playing on album tracks I’ve heard. The two vinyl albums I have at home are a good album ‘Born to be Blue’ under his name and a really great album ‘Search for the New Land’ under Lee Morgan’s name and with stellar company. These are good examples of his unique and instantly recognisable solo style. Free flowing, bluesy, melodic but with a distinctive warm but woody and edgy, biting sound that is perhaps due in part to the instrument, a non-cutaway Gibson L7 with the unique McCarty pick up.
Those older Gibson models often had a unique, woody sound. Another great guitarist, for example, is Rene Thomas who used a non-cutaway Gibson 150 with Charlie Christian pick up. His sound had a similar edge to it.
As regards this particular album I enjoyed it although I did find that first slow track rather long. Apart from that it’s great though. True to form Green is in that flowing trademark solo style but does minimal comping. He typically lays out deferring to the piano. I don’t think he would get many pianists saying he gets in the way.
He was one of the greats of the Blue Note era and for someone to have such an instantly recognisable signature style means a lot. You know its him in the first few notes and something about his soloing compels you to sit up and listen. Of the GG I’ve heard I would pick out ‘Search for the New Land’ as one to check out if you’ve not already got it.
Your review of this CD prompted me to listen to my Blue Note 4 CD set 'Grant Green Retrospective' 7243 5 40851 3A/B. This includes the track 'Django' from Idle Moments.
I always enjoyed Green's playing but usually in short doses as his main influences were jazz saxophonists. As a result his sound did not have the full and rich guitar sound of the 1950/1960's jazz guitar greats such as Kessel, Farlow, Ellis, Johnny Smith, Hall and Burrell.
I felt he was essentially a blues guitarist and although he featured on many excellent hard bop Blue Note recordings he did return almost exclusively to playing blues guitar in his later career. Of course he died too young at the age of 44. I can recommend Sharony Andrews Green's biography of Grant Green (Backbeat Books 1999).
Maurice Summerfield
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