12,000 not out and still bopping...

Wow! We've now reached 12,000 posts since BSH began in 2008. What began with very modest aims has now had almost four and a half million page views from all over the world.

Although our main emphasis has been covering jazz in all its many forms in the north east our writers also travel to the London Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott's, Pizza Express, Spice of Life and other clubs in the capital. 

Festivals in Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Scarborough and elsewhere are covered along with occasional reports from our continental ops, as well as visits to Wisconsin for the annual Bix Fest and, of course, Hong Kong, where our good friend, broadcaster and bandleader Colin Aitchison, makes our presence known via interviews with myself and other local musicians.

On the home front we've covered prestigious events at Sage Gateshead, in Darlington and Durham, and Mike Durham's International Classic Jazz Party as well as smaller, but no less important gigs promoted by the Jazz Co-op, Jazz North East, Newcastle Arts Centre (Black Swan), Hoochie Coochie, the Prohibition Bar and, naturally, its illustrious predecessor, the Jazz Café run by the charismatic Keith Crombie who, sadly, is probably now creating havoc "up there" or, as is more likely, "down there". The grass roots traditional jazz venues and numerous jam sessions across the region are visited and reported on by various members of our team. I'm not going to mention names as there are too many and I'm bound to overlook someone.

So, wherever you are today, raise a glass of your favourite tipple and toast - not me or any of us - but to the concept of Bebop Spoken Here which, as it says on the masthead, is "Updating the world about jazz in the north east of England and updating the north east of England about jazz in the world".

Lance

PS: Oh, I almost forgot to mention that in 2018 we won the APPJAG Media category - my middle names is Modesty!

PPS: Image is of our first ever flier!