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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: ?

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Jamie McCredie @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Fri 28: Luis Verde Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Knats @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.50. (inc bf.). Album launch gig. Support act TBC.
Fri 28: Black is the Color of My Voice @ The Gala, Durham. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, performed by Florence Odumosu.
Fri 28: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival: Musicians Unlimited @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. £10.00. (Weekend ticket £20.00., available on the door). Day 1/3. Musicians Unlimited in concert.
Fri 28: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Album Review: The Dave Ingham Group – A Sea of Green

Dave Ingham (saxes, bells, flute); Stephen Mynott (guitar); Vilem Hais (double bass); Azzy King (drums, percussion)

Dave Ingham, a musician/bandleader based in East Anglia, formed The Dave Ingham Group in 2010 and this studio album, recorded in Beccles, celebrates their tenth anniversary.  All compositions are by Dave Ingham.

With a playing time of just over 30 minutes the album is relatively compact, but as we know at Bebop Spoken Here, small is beautiful!  Upstream commences with drum, bass then guitar setting the rhythm and finally Ingham’s flowing soprano weaving a fluid melodic line over the top.  The rhythm section are let out to play for a short interlude in the middle.  Straw Dogs commences with a slow menacing rhythm from drums, bass and guitar.  Ingham, again on soprano, soars over the top with extended arpeggiation.  There is a fine solo from Hais on bass at the centre.

Bass and guitar lead into the title track, A Sea of Green, with resonant cymbal work from King.  The rhythm puts one in mind of the slow ebb and flow of waves on a pebbled beach.  Ingham plays both tenor and soprano, with some double tracking.  An extended guitar solo from Mynott allows him to demonstrate his technique to the full.  At over nine minutes this is the longest track on the album and pivotal.

Hometown Blues features Mynott’s guitar from the beginning.  Ingham joins on tenor well into the piece.  A guitar feature follows, with an air of call and response with the horn.  The final track, Race to the Sun ups the tempo again, Ingham’s tenor over a driving rhythm.  Here drummer, Azzy King gets to show off on his own – well for a short period, at least! We also get to hear Ingham on flute (with electronic effects) and added experimentation from Mynott on guitar.  The track fades to a close.  You think it’s all over, it is now!

All in all, this is a neat little package, with something for everyone.  The press release suggests there are elements of “classic cool 50s and 60s jazz melded with world and African jazz”.  Very subtle hints of the latter two possibly, with a decent dose of cool I’d say.

A Sea of Green is released as a CD on July 3.  Demonstration tracks may be sampled and the CD can be ordered from Dave Ingham’s website.  There is also a link on the site to a download of the album from CD Baby, but the link leads to an information page with the following message:  “CD Baby retired our music store in March of 2020 in order to place our focus entirely on the tools and services that are most meaningful to musicians today and tomorrow”.by 

Hugh C

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