Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,086 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 950 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Nov. 7) 20.

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

November

Sun 08: Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party @ Village Hotel, West Allotment. 12 noon. Day 3/3.
Sun 08: ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 08: Kaberry Big Band @ Forest Hall Social Club. 3:00pm. £7.00 (inc. tea & cake). Charity event for the Poppy Appeal.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Greg Abate w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 09: Bechet-Spanier Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.; £5.00. Muggsy Spanier was born 125 years ago today (9 November 1901). This afternoon’s all-star quartet - from London, Lewis Taylor (cornet) & Michael McQuaid (reeds), from Paris, Félix Hunot (guitar), from London, Harry Evans (string bass) - salutes Muggsy!
Mon 09: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Bechet-Spanier Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. Muggsy Spanier was born 125 years ago today (9 November 1901). This evening’s all-star quartet - from London, Lewis Taylor (cornet), from London, Michael McQuaid (reeds), from Paris, Félix Hunot (guitar), from London, Harry Evans (string bass) - salutes Muggsy!

Tue 10: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Becky Tuck (vocals).
Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 11: Plague Doctors Cure All + Noonward @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: JANE @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 12: MoonMot + Jack Banjo’s Snackwall @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 12: Ratio: Swingin’ Through the Decades @ The Forum, Darlington. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £10.00. A charity fundraiser.
Thu 12: Look Left @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Thu 12: Michael Woods @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Acoustic blues.

Fri 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Giles Strong (guitar); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 13: Lapwing Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Richard Herdman, Nick Bagnell, Paula Whitty.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Hexham Lantern Parade, Bandstand, Sele, Hexham. 6:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Sharp Collective @ Dry Water Arts, Amble. 7:00pm.
Fri 13: East Coast Swing Band @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm.
Fri 13: Guisborough Big Band @ Saltburn Golf Club. 7:30pm. Tickets: £15.00 (inc. pie & peas

Sat 14: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. £95.00. Day 1/2. SOLD OUT!
Sat 14: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 14: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf); £11.00 concs (inc. bf).
Sat 14: Red Kites Jazz @ Staiths Café, Gateshead. 7:00pm.
Sat 14: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Tweed Gallery, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Monday, June 08, 2020

Let's Hear it For the 'Boys'.

We haven't had any lists for awhile so, prompted by yesterdays YouTube clip of of Johnny Desmond, I thought I'd list my 10 favourite albums by male singers.

The criteria is simple: one album per artist and only albums that have stood the test of time hence no Kurt Elling or Gregory Porter.

In no particular order they are:


Johnny Desmond: Blue Smoke w. Tony Mottolo providing some wonderful guitar backing.
Johnny Hartman: John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman. Self explanatory.
Mel Tormé: Lulu's Back in Town w. Marty Paich Octet.
Fred Astaire: The Astaire Story. Fred with JATP.
Woody Herman: Music For Tired Lovers. Woody sings to Erroll Garner's accompaniment.
Tony Bennett: The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings.
Buddy Greco: Live at Mr. Kelly's. Great singing and piano playing.
Nat King Cole: Two Marvelous For Words. Great singing and piano playing.
Joe Mooney: Do You Long For Oolong? Great singing and accordion playing.
Frank Sinatra: Songs For Swinging Lovers - by a short head from a dozen other albums!
Lance.

2 comments :

Steve T said...

Since I don't generally like vocal jazz, I've followed the Sage Gateshead/Camden Jazz Cafe model: Jazz, Blues, Soul, or - if you like - Nicholas Peyton's Black Music.

In alphabetical order:

Captain Beefheart - Lick my Decals off Baby. After the Music of the Millennium debacle on Channel 4 twenty years ago, Ken Clarke got to speak for Jazz and observed Songs for Swingin Lovers and the Captain's Trout Mask Replica were on the margins of Jazz. This was the follow-up and was his and is my favourite of all his albums.

Sam Dees - The Show Must Go On. The ultimate underground Soul Album.

Lamont Dozier - Out Here on my Own. Being part of the most successful songwriting partnership in the history of the American charts has overshadowed his remarkable run of solo albums in the seventies and early eighties.

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On. Many people - myself included - consider this the greatest album ever made. For years now, whenever I've DJ'd, I've played a medley of his choons

Buddy Guy - Breaking Out. Saw him (with Junior Wells) just before and just after this album and they were amazing both times (the first time was on a bill with Albert King and John Lee Hooker) but the transformation on the latter, with his use of a solid body Fender, was stark.

Michael Henderson - Do it All. The bass player who brought the Fonk to Miles with On the Corner made four excellent soul/funk albums in the late seventies.

Luther Ingram - Do You Love Somebody. I've had a thing about (the real) Luther for many years for which I'm medicated. (My brother has Teddy Pendergrass, the great John Lias has Paul Kelly, former DJ and Kane Gang manager Phil Mitchell has Johnnie Taylor and former DJ and Record Shop owner Brian Cade has Bobby Womack - it's a soul thing).

Curtis Mayfield - Back to the World. Will we ever hear his like again?

SinAtra - Songs for Swingin Lovers. With Lance ging for this, I thought about Come Fly with Me or Wee Small Hours, but this is the one.

Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) - Down and Out Blues. Stands with Muddy and Wolf as the original giants of Chicago Blues.

Roly Veitch said...

Hello Lance
Sorry I can't name ten, I don't have many male vocalist albums but if I can mention two I do have and like very much. Both 'hip song' type singers. Bobby Dorough 'Devil May Care' and Dave Frishberg 'Getting Some Fun Out of Life' - both gems! I don't have Sinatra albums but do feel some of his versions of the Gasbook songs are unsurpassed and also I like Chet Baker's singing. Some do, some don't but I think he was one of the great jazz singers. My mother had many Al Bowlly albums, mostly compilations. I like him too, his recordings with Ray Noble.
And if I can mention an all time favourite male vocal - Jack Teagarden singing 'Stars Fell on Alabama'.
Roly

Blog Archive