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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

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

Thursday, February 11, 2021

KSTV: Noah Stoneman, Daisy George, Will Cleasby - Feb. 11


Noah Stoneman (piano); Daisy George (bass); Will Cleasby (drums).

(Screenshots by Ken Drew)

It was a tough call tonight - hip-hop at Ronnie's or some swinging piano jazz at Smitty's? I flipped a coin and called "heads". Fortunately, it landed with the head of Queen Victoria showing so it mean't I didn't have to flip again.

Another ace trio tonight playing a great selection of standards from the Old and New Testament of Bop.

Ornette Coleman, whom many proclaimed as the New Messiah, provided The Blessing and it didn't take long before we got the message that tonight was going to be the jazz equivalent of the Sermon on the Mount or The Beatles at Shea Stadium. 

Bud Powell's Tempus Fugue-it was introduced by Cleasby as Tempus Fuggit which gave him the chance to say "let's hope we don't fug it up!"

Star Eyes, one of the truly great tunes whether sung by Carmen McRae or played by Charlie Parker - or, come to that, played by Noah Stoneman.

Everything Happens to me. That lyric (Tom Adair) - "I make a date for golf and you can bet your life it rains, I try to throw a party and the guy upstairs complains" is in a class of its own. Even without the words it's still a great number (Matt Dennis) and Stoneham's reading of the verse and his subsequent exploration of the harmonic possibilities were just (just?) magical!

A couple of Horace Silver's in the form of Pretty Eyes and Nica's Dream. In the former, Daisy George let us know that a woman's bass isn't just in the home but on a jazz gig as she served up as tasty a solo as  I've heard since the last time I heard her. On Nica's Dream, Daisy did the business again and Cleasby hit all the pots and pans - if his mask hadn't slipped I'd have sworn it was Elvin Jones reincarnated.

The set finished with a Monk tune that I know well - it wasn't Monk's Dream but it was of that ilk.

Another knock out session. Why anyone who reads BSH doesn't checkout KS is beyond me. Google YouTube Kansas Smitty's and you'll never (virtually) go home again!
Lance
at

1 comment :

Russell said...

A superb session. As Lance said, if you read BSH you really should checkout Kansas Smitty's!

Thursday, February 11, 2021 11:07:00 pm

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