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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17733 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 53 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Jan. 20).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Sat 25: Boys of Brass @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 25: New '58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson's Wharf, Hartlepool. 6:30pm (doors). Free. A Burns' Night event. Jazz, swing, funk, soul, blues etc.
Sat 25: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Parish Hall, St Barnabas’ Church, Rowlands Gill. 7:30pm. £10.00. BYOB (tea & coffee available), raffle. Proceeds to St Barnabas’ Church. Performance feat. Shayo (vocals).
Sat 25: Jack & Jay’s Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Graham Hardy Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 26: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:30pm. Free.
Sun 26: Gratkowski, Tramontana, Beresford, Affifi @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 12 noon-2:00pm (two sets). £12.00. admission (card or cash at the door). Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums). Note change of venue, no longer at Mrs M’s as advertised, the concert will be in the Old Library (Bishop Auckland Jazz’s regular venue). Important! It’s a ‘BYOB’ arrangement - ie bring your own booze (and/or tea, coffee, soft drinks).
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Café Orkestar @ Café Under the Spire, Gateshead. 6:00pm. ‘Klezmer, Gypsy Jazz, Balkan & More!’.
Fri 31: Nothing in Rambling @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £10.00. + bf. Country blues duo.
Fri 31 Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Wylam Institute. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. + £1.50. bf.
Fri 31: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £10.00 + bf. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.
Fri 31: Alan Barnes Quartet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00 Barnes (alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet); Alan Law (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 31: SwanNek + Rivkala @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. SwanNek’s new single launch gig. Pilgrim, formerly Hoochie Coochie.

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

Strictly Smokin' Big Band Live Stream - June 25

On a sweltering summer's evening the medium of Zoom (everybody's favourite/least favourite platform)  presented a fine array of SSBB soloists working with backing tapes. Few would claim this to be the ideal arrangement but, hey, in these lockdown times...

First up Mr Dave Kerridge on tenor playing My One and Only Love. Mr Dependable is DK. Chris Kurgi-Smith threw his hat in the ring  with Lucky Dip (comp. Mark Nightingale). A Lionel Richie number found its way into the set courtesy of pianist and vocalist Graham Don. A mean piano player is Graham and, on this evidence, no mean singer!

SSBB tenor sax man Jamie Toms offered Vincent Youmans' Without a Song, a number JT said he first encountered listening to Sonny Rollins. Good stuff. Kieran Parnaby, sporting a distinctive haircut - someone on the split screen suggested all of the SSBB should go for a similar barnet...hmmm! - chose an apposite Blue Skies. Alto man, the first of two this evening, Mr Keith Robinson confided he was looking forward to July 4. Not because he was choking for a pint, rather he was in need of a haircut! KR likes All the Things You Are and proceeded to play it. Alto man no. 2 was waiting in the wings...

Our American composer, novelist and all round good guy Pete Tanton laid down his trumpet in favour of piano as he sang Tell Me When It's Safe to Open My Eyes. Written before the current pandemic, it certainly has a resonance in these strange times. Nice one, Pete. Paul Donnelly from the Deep South (that's the southern end of BSH's homeland) joined the regular SSBB boys and girls and, as last time round, the visuals were more freeze frame stills than uninterrupted live stream. That said, PD's guitar playing was more than up to scratch on Four Brothers. From one guest to another - Sue Ferris. Whatever the instrument, tenor sax, baritone, Sue never fails to deliver a knockout performance and tonight's contribution - Summertime - on flute was no different. 

And then there was Alice - wow! Someone to Watch Over Me sang AG. No word of a lie, if Gershwin was around today he'd be mightily impressed! Ms Grace would return. Steve Summers took on Bird's Scrapple from the Apple and our second alto sax ace of the evening came off relatively unscathed - that's an achievement in itself. We were nearing the end of tonight's SSBB live stream and it was time for Michael Lamb to demonstrate his mastery of Zoom and all things digital and pick up his muted horn to play a corking If I Were a Bell. Clearly band MD Lamb had been in the lockdown woodshed - tremendous! Chega de Saudeade was Pawel Jedrzejewski's acousitc guitar piece tonight. Underrated is Pav. And finally the full band appeared on screen to contribute recorded parts as Alice Grace sang Fascinating Rhythm live. It worked well. The SSBB will be back in July with more, details nearer the time.  
Russell

SSBB soloists & guest soloists (In order of appearance): Dave Kerridge (tenor sax); Chris Kurgi-Smith (trombone); Graham Don (keyboards, vocals); Jamie Toms (tenor sax); Kieran Parnaby (trombone); Keith Robinson (alto sax);  Pete Tanton (piano, vocals); Paul Donnelly (guitar); Sue Ferris (flute); Alice Grace (vocals); Steve Summers (alto sax); Michael Lamb (trumpet), Pawel Jedrzejewski (guitar);  + SSBB full band video        

1 comment :

NeilC said...

Saved the best for last great session culminating in a spectacular version of Fascinating Rhythm wonderful vocals from Alice Grace her voice is so crisp and clean and the musicianship is collectively second to none , thank you so much for entertaining us through these awful times.

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