Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18035 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 999 of them this year alone and, so far, 13 this month (Dec. 7).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

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

Tues 09: Customs House Big Band @ All Saints’ Parish Hall, Cleadon. 7:00pm. CHBB feat. Ruth Lambert.
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. CANCELLED!
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: Customs House Big Band @ Stocksfield Community Centre, Mount View, Stocksfield NE43 7HL. 7: 30pm. Tickets £10.00 from: admin@stocksfieldca.org.uk. CHBB feat. Ruth Lambert.
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. CANCELLED!
Fri 12: Jive Aces: Swingin’ Xmas Show @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm.

Sat 13: A Jazzy Xmas @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Sat 13: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 13: Teresa Watson Band @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sat 13: Washboard Resonators @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £14.09 (inc. bf).
Sat 13: Salty Dog @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:45pm. Americana, blues, jazz.
Sat 13: A Jazzy Xmas @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).

Sun 14: Musicians Unlimited + Darlington Big Band @ West Hartlepool RFC. 12 noon-6:00pm. £9.00. Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party.
Sun 14: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 14: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 6:30pm. £15.18 (inc. bf).
Sun 14: Paul Skerritt @ The Black Candle, South Shields. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 14: Sean Noonan Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.

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, May 02, 2020

Woe to saxophones and other wind instruments!

I've just been listening to a radio discussion about coming out of Lockdown. Someone suggested that the wearing of face masks could become compulsory at social gatherings for a time. So I started to think about the effect of this at jazz gigs.

(Editor: Scott Black, the hottest cornet player in Hong Kong, posted this photo on Facebook back in February.)

Should instruments that you blow be banned? This would be the end for saxophones of all sizes and also trumpets, cornets, trombones etc. There'd be an upsurge in music for piano, guitar, drums and bass. Would the reed players start to learn guitar instead? Would the non-reed players wear masks in sympathy with their fellow musicians, even though it didn't stopped them playing their instruments.

Would saxophonists etc contrive a way of playing whilst wearing a mask? If their whole mouth was covered except for the opening where the mouthpiece goes in, would this be practical? Would they be blowing the virus out through the aperture? Some people, naming no names, have said that worse than the virus comes out of some saxophones!

I'd hate to see this happening as there'd be no more Hexham Clap Sessions on BSH unless the drummer appeared alone.

It's amazing what random ideas pop into your head at times like these.
Ann Alex
at

5 comments :

Lance said...

Another problem Ann is that a lot of gigs look to bar takings to pay staff and musicians - face masks would present a further problem. Plus if sax players etc had to wear masks then pianists and guitarists should be made to wear gloves to create a level playing field.

Saturday, May 02, 2020 4:50:00 pm
Ann Alex said...

Ha Ha! We have some great guitarists and pianists and I bet they'd be able to play somewhat even wearing gloves! Drummers could play wearing gloves, though the sound would be a bit muffled on congas! Come to think of it, it's worth a try, and probably has been tried. And Bill Shaw could have drawn a great cartoon of all this!

Saturday, May 02, 2020 6:43:00 pm
Lance said...

Oh yes, and what about singers?

Saturday, May 02, 2020 11:08:00 pm
Anonymous said...

Can't see there being any proper gigs for a while yet anyway...
Interesting suggestions nonetheless.

Sunday, May 03, 2020 2:23:00 am
Ann Alex said...

Singers sound would be muffled and maybe improved in some cases, naming no names, but some have said that it applies to the writer of this comment! Or a new kind of scat could be invented!

Sunday, May 03, 2020 4:10:00 pm

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