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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

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.

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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