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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
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: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

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

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Sarah Ellen Hughes Update

In the early days of BSH one of the names that frequently popped up was Sarah Ellen Hughes. We heard her a couple of times at the Cherry Tree in Jesmond, the Customs House in South Shields (see photo), Scarborough Jazz Festival as well as on her home turf at the Spice of Life in Soho and then, this NYJO graduate disappeared off our radar. Goodbye jazz, hello teaching was the last we heard.

Until Friday night ...

On Friday, Sarah, now Sarah Frecknall, reappeared  with a live stream on Facebook. I was late getting to the party so, sadly, I only heard the last few numbers but, it was enough to tell me the girl still had it.

I needed to know more. To find out why she'd left/returned to jazz. Her change of name - marriage no doubt - future plans, next livestream, what she had for breakfast ... over to you Sarah ...

Sarah: "I’m still teaching and living in Hertfordshire with my husband and 3-yr-old son. I went part-time after giving birth and it’s the best decision I ever made! I absolutely love my teaching job (music teaching to primary-aged children) and still have time for my family and to pursue other interests including knitting and teaching the local choir."

"I have still kept a hand in the live music world, as I’m a member of the touring group Roots of Jazz. We travel to different churches - mostly in the home counties - to present a concert about the history of jazz and how it relates to the biblical story of slavery. It’s a really interesting project and gives me a chance to blow my pipes on some fabulous gospel songs!  We do concerts about once a month, and I’m able to fit it into my life as it requires no rehearsal or promotion from me - something which was incredibly challenging and in the end, a nail in the coffin of my self-promoted jazz career."

"As a result of this continued live singing, I know I’m still capable of presenting a concert - even though I’ve forgotten most of the words of the standards I used to sing! So when a friend asked if I would be keen to perform at a fundraising gig for a local music centre in trouble, I was more than happy to get involved."

"I’m still Sarah Ellen Hughes as a performer, but getting married in 2014 gave me the surname Frecknall."

"There are no future plans for any more jazz or live-streaming! But now that I know it can be done, I’ll be happy to take on more fundraising if it comes up. However, I’m mindful that so many ex-colleagues and friends have lost months' worth of income over this pandemic, so I do not want to take work away from them as lockdown eases, given it is no longer my job."

"For breakfast I had toasted tea cakes!"

Lance: Thanks Sarah.

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