Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

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

Tuesday, December 08, 2020

Best Albums of 2020 (Editor's choice)

These are some of the albums that I have enjoyed this year. They're in alphabetical order and I haven't included downloads as, Luddite that I am, to me they're too ephemeral - out of sight, out of mind,

Big Band

Kathrine Windfeld Big Band - Orca.

Maria Schneider Orchestra - Data Lords.

South Florida Jazz Orchestra - Cheap Thrills.

Vocal

Callum Au/Claire Martin - Songs and Stories.

Diana Krall - This Dream of You.

Jo Harrop/Jamie McCredie - Weathering the Storm.

Marty Elkins - 'Tis Autumn.

Royal Bopsters - Party of Four.

Small Group.

Allison Neale - Quietly There.

Artemis.

Charles McPherson - Jazz Dance Suites.

Dime Notes - Daylight Savin'

Eddie Daniels - Night Kisses.

House of the Black Gardenia - The New Lowdown.,

James Copus - Dusk.

Jeff Hamilton Trio - Catch Me If You Can.

Judith/Dave O'Higgins - His 'n' Hers.

Max Haymer - Whirlwind.

Rob Barron - From This Moment On

TRYPL.

Classic/Historic

Dave Brubeck - Lullabies.

Dexter Gordon - The Squirrel.

Ella Fitzgerald - The Lost Berlin Tapes.

Louis Armstrong - Live in Europe.

Neil Swainson - 49th Parallel.

Wolfgang Lackerschmid/Chet Baker - Ballads For Two.

Wolfgang Lackerschmid/Chet Baker - Quintet Sessions 1979.

There are many more I could/should/would have picked but time and space etc.

Let's hear it for your choices.

Lance

at

4 comments :

Dave said...

Hi Lance
I’ll make my usual complaint about Data Lords in that it is raved about by those who get free copies to review but unheard by the rest of us who would have to pay £50 plus to import a copy for ourselves.
Apart from that, keep up the excellent work.
Cheers
Dave

Wednesday, December 09, 2020 4:07:00 pm
Lance said...

Dave, we're always on the lookout for reviewers ...

Thursday, December 10, 2020 6:52:00 pm
Dave said...

Oh no! I might have got myself volunteered there.
Sign me up

Thursday, December 10, 2020 9:50:00 pm
Lance said...

Email me and we'll find something for you.

Thursday, December 10, 2020 10:27:00 pm

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