Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,105 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 969 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Nov. 14) 39.

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

November

Sun 15: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. Day 2/2. SOLD OUT!
Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ The Waiting Room, Eaglescliffe. 7:00pm. £48.18 (to include dinner); £17.43 (concert only).
Sun 15: Sarah Gillespie & Chris Montague @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00.
Sun 15: Liane Carroll @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Solo performance. SOLD OUT!

Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Jacob Egglestone, Paul Grainger, Joe Deans.
Tue 17: Grammy Season (Laubrock/Seabrook/Lovato/Rainey) @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 19: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 19: Papa G’s Troves @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations).
Thu 19: Marina Josephina @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £10.60; £10.60.; £8.50 Early Bird.

Fri 20: Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion: The Music of Duke Ellington @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Customs House Big Band @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm.

Sat 21: Pete Tanton Duo @ Awesome Frank’s, West Jesmond Metro Station, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £8.00.
Sat 21: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Westovian Theatre, South Shields. 7:30pm. £18.00.

Saturday, January 30, 2021

Kansas Smitty's play Heavy Weather - Jan. 30

Alec Harper (tenor sax); Will Barry (keyboards); Flo Moore (electric bass); Jas Kayser (drums); João Caetano (percussion)

(Screenshots by Ken Drew)

A recreation of Weather Report's biggest selling album from 1977. As on the recording, Birdland opened he show. Alec Harper on tenor playing Wayne Shorter's tenor sax and soprano sax parts, Will Barry working three keyboards - Joe Zawinul surrounded himself with more like three hundred pieces of hardware (slight exaggeration!). 

An excellent start to the evening. Wayne Shorter's beautiful ballad A Remark You Made sounded just right, broadly adhering to the original, just a touch of Kansas Smitty's collective personality shining through. Was Flo Moore, playing five string electric bass, quaking in her shoes at the challenging prospect of tackling Jaco Pastorius' Teen Town? Something of a test piece for bass players the world over, Flo came through with flying colours. At its conclusion, Will Barry rightly heaped praise upon praise on his band mate. 

Rumba Mama put tonight's percussionists in the spotlight with Jas Kayser and João Caetano having fun on the percussion feature (Harper, Barry and Moore sitting out), which, on Weather report's world tour, featured Alex Acuña and Manolo Badrena. Great fun!  Zawinul's Palladium reunited the quintet featuring Harper's tenor sax blowout. And to play us out, Jaco's Havona. Harper brooding, then unleashing à la Shorter, Barry's swirling keyboards uncannily like Zawinul's signature sound. And what do you know? Flo aced it again! Take it on tour guys!                
Russell

Set list: Birdland; A Remark You Made; Teen Town; Harlequin; Rumba Mama; Palladium; Havona
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