Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18395 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 259 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 30 ), 69

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

March

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ 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: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

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: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). Free. Chicago blues.

Monday, August 03, 2020

Just when you thought it was safe to go into a jazz club...

...you find it isn't!

The long awaited reopening of Ronnie Scott's had been scheduled to be reopened to the socially distanced public this past weekend with some eye-catching concerts but alas, like most venues worldwide, The powers that be decreed otherwise. Better to be safe than to be sorry seems to be the motto and who  are we to argue?

One of the events that wouldn't have needed the chuckers out chucking them in was scheduled for tonight in the form of a tribute to what many consider to have been the UK's greatest ever modern jazz group - The Jazz Couriers.

However, all is not completely lost. Like the Jazz Coop in Newcastle where, if you can't come to them then they come to you via a livestream, Ronnie's is doing the same tonight (August 3) from 7:00pm via Facebook (fingers crossed).

Taking on the roles of Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott are tenor saxists Simon Spillett (pictured) and Pete Long. Simon, whose biographical masterpiece on Hayes - In the Long Shadow of the Little Giant - is rightly regarded as the greatest living authority on the aforementioned "Little Giant" and it shows in his playing. Pete Long too is an authority on jazz history having, via the Jazz Repertory Company, recreated the music of, to mention but a few, Benny Goodman, JATP and Duke Ellington. Indeed Pete is due to travel north some time in the hopefully not too distant future to collaborate with SSBB on his current Ellington project.

Behind the two tenor players will be the house rhythm section of James Pearson (piano); Tim Thornton (bass) and Ed Richardson (drums).

7:00pm - don't be late!
Lance

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