Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18656 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 520 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 25) 72

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

June

Tue 30: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

July

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ 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: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 02: De’Sean Jones & Blaque Dynamite feat. Urban Art Orchestra @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). De’Sean Jones (MD, tenor sax); Blaque Dynamite (Mike Mitchell, drums); Jamie Murray (drums) with UAO horns & strings.
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Thu 02: Howlin’ Mat @ Newcastle Arts centre. 7:30pm. Free. Acoustic

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Paul Donnelly Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: Martin Taylor @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Taylor (solo guitar).

Sat 04: Spats Langham’s Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:00-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Take the ‘A’ Train to Summertime: From Melody to Masterclass. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Kevin Eland (trumpet).
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Paul Edis: ICMuS LIVE Concert at Home - May 28

Paul Edis (piano)

As the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed in March it brought an abrupt halt to Newcastle University's LIVE in King's Hall public concert series. Now, albeit at a digital distance, the International Centre for Music Studies' Thursday lunchtime series has resumed. Last week Jane Nossek (violin) and Gabriel Waite (cello) played classical pieces and today it was the turn of pianist Paul Edis to entertain for half an hour or so. 

LIVE in King's Hall is the corporate branding and the musicians perform live in front of an audience of students and members of the public. In this instance Paul Edis performed from the safety of his London home and, indeed, the performance was recorded some days ago. The enhanced audio-visual production values were, no doubt, down to the resources available to ICMuS staff. And so we got an on-screen countdown accompanied by a questionable ambient/elevator muzak soundtrack...5...4...3...2...1. Thankfully the elevator reached its destination in double quick time and, as the metaphorical doors opened, there was Dr Edis waiting for us. 

Two Edis compositions opened the programme; Montage followed by Just Like Me (sounding just like Paul Edis). Brooks Bowman's East of the Sun (and West of the Moon) is a nice tune and it was nicely played, as one would expect from our exiled northerner. Eastern (comp. P. Edis) from the composer's acclaimed Mr Hipster sextet album offered further evidence of a real compositional talent - perhaps another sextet recording session will happen one day. This afternoon's performer revealed that Miles Davis' Blue in Green was one of the tunes that go him into jazz. As a pianist Edis was struck by Bill Evans' contribution and, not for the first time, speculated that the composition was as much Evans' as Davis'. Typical pianist, taking the side of fellow pianist Evans! Time for a waltz, a Disney waltz at that. Frank Churchill's Someday My Prince Will Come - Davis, Evans and many others have recorded the number - is a timeless composition and Edis plays/played it as well as anyone. To close the half hour set Our Man in London went out on (without his usual TS Monk sparring partner Graeme Wilson) Trinkle, Tinkle. Excellent. More tomorrow (Friday 29) from Paul Edis live on YouTube at one o'clock.     
Russell  
at

1 comment :

JERRY said...

I missed the muzak - but did like the split-screen with an overhead camera on the keys. Fascinating to be able clearly to see the dexterity which goes into producing such fabulous sounds!

Friday, May 29, 2020 2:39:00 am

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive