Bebop Spoken There

Ethan Hawke (starring as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon): ''Larry [Lorenz] Hart would be so happy that his music and his words and his poetry are still alive.'' - The Northern Echo 27 November 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

18000 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 964 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 24).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Sat 06: Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 06: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Minor Swing. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 06: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 06: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76 (inc. bf).
Sat 06: Kaberry Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. (inc. hot buffet). ‘Christmas 1945’. Kaberry Big Band, formerly Vermont Big Band.
Sat 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ Platform 1, Bedlington. 7:30pm. £6.00. Rhythm & blues.
Sat 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. Xmas Party with buffet.
Sat 06: The Jive Aces @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £22.00., £20.00.
Sat 06: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 07: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. special guest Donna Hewitt (sax, clarinet).
Sun 07: Finn-Keeble Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 07: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio + Ruth Lambert.
Sun 07: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Jason Isaacs Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 5:15pm (4:00pm doors). £21.50 (inc. bf).
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3 Stories, High St. West, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Support set from Play More Jazz! course participants. Note earlier start.

Mon 08: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 09: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm

Wed 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 10: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Mike Lindup Jazz Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £26.50 (inc. bf). Lindup, Yolanda Charles (bass), John Sam (drums).
Wed 10: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £12.00.

Thu 11: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: West Coast (cool ) / Wordsearch (cool) Cool Jazz or ‘Cold’, ‘Cool’, ‘Hot’, ‘Warm’ in the title or lyrics.
Thu 11: George Robinson @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £5.42 (inc. bf). Vienna’s Voice charity evening featuring ’15 year old singing sensation the ‘Redcar Crooner’ George Robinson’. Over 35s only.
Thu 11: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. back tapes.
Thu 11: Ransom Van @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 11: Down for the Count Swing Orchestra @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:30pm. £37.70 (inc. bf). ‘Swing into Xmas’.

Fri 12: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 12: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £15.00. ‘Xmas Soiree’.
Fri 12: A Jazzy Xmas @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £15.00. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, soprano sax); Matthew Forster (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 12: Tony Hadley: Xmas Big Band Tour 2025 @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Fri 12: Alexia Gardner @ The New Ship Inn, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. 8:00pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy, Abbie Finn.
Fri 12: Jive Aces: Swingin’ Xmas Show @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm.

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

Monday, May 04, 2020

Announcing Cheltenham Jazz Festival @ Home

(Press release)

Cheltenham Jazz Festival will go ahead as a virtual one-day festival to be streamed for free on 9 May 2020 via Cheltenham Festivals You Tube Channel. 

Cheltenham Jazz Festival @ Home will recreate the essence of the Festival for a unique one-day celebration, with a selection of some of the top acts set to perform at this year’s Jazz Festival. 

The Festival will feature exclusive sets from Irish singer-songwriterImelda May; cultural pioneerNitin Sawhney; award-winning trumpeter Laura Jurd; ambient improvising trio  Chris Mapp and Stillefelt, the 16-piece Electric Lady Big  Bandthe TC Quartet ft Denny Ilett; soul/rocker 
Roachford; beatboxer Shlomo; and Showcase sessions with two rising stars from last year’s Free Stage: Rosie Tee and Amahla.

Throughout the day the best of the Festival’s Westons Sessions, filmed over the past seven years, will also be streamed. Sponsored by partners Henry Westons and curated by Cheltenham Jazz Festival, these intimate performances have been filmed behind the scenes at the Festival and feature an eclectic mix of established artists and emerging talent. At 8pm the Festival hands over to BBC Radio 2 for a special show from Jamie Cullum with highlights from the past 10 years of Cheltenham Jazz Festival followed by another chance to hear Randy Crawford in concert from her 2018 Cheltenham appearance, introduced by Jo Whiley. 

BBC Four have also joined in the celebration by making the Jazz 625 broadcast created at last year’s Festival available to view for 21 days from 8 May.  This was the first live BBC black and white TV programme broadcast since the 1970s, reviving the iconic 1960s BBC show Jazz 625 for one night only.  Broadcast live from Cheltenham, it featured a house band - led by pianist Robert Mitchell - with special guests including Joshua Redman, Jean Toussaint, Shirley Tetteh, Jacqui Dankworth and Gregory Porter. And an exclusive recorded performance from legendary Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. 

Dave Gaydon Head of Programming for the Jazz Festival said “We’d like to say a huge thanks to all of the artists who have supported us in making this happen.  To be able to create a virtual Festival in three weeks has been amazing. We are delighted that we can offer a flavour of the Festival to those who, like us were disappointed by the cancellation due to COVID 19 and hope that Jazz lovers join us on their smartphone, smart TV or laptop and on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday 9 May as part of their Bank Holiday weekend plans.” 

The programme line-up is:  
SATURDAY 9 MAY 
3.00pm 
Rosie Tee 
You Tube Channel 
3.15pm 
Amahla 
3.30pm 
Shlomo 
3.45pm 
Roachford 
4pm 
Best of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival Westons Sessions 
4.30pm 
Chris Mapp / Stillefelt  
4.45pm 
Laura Jurd / Dinosaur 
5pm 
Best of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival Westons Sessions 
5.30pm 
Imelda May 
6pm 
Best of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival Westons Sessions 
6.30pm 
Nitin Sawhney 
7pm 
Best of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival Westons Sessions 
7.30pm 
The TC Quartet ft Denny Ilett 
7.45pm 
Electric Lady Big Band 
8pm 
Jamie Cullum highlights from his shows at Cheltenham Jazz Festival 
BBC Radio 2 
9pm 
Randy Crawford’s Cheltenham Jazz Festival set from 2018, introduced by Jo Whiley 
BBC Radio 2 
SUNDAY 10 MAY 
10pm 
Clare Teal’s highlights from Cheltenham Jazz Festival 
BBC Radio 2 

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