Bebop Spoken There

Dominick "Domo" Branch: ''Most people say drummers can't write, they're just time-keepers only beating on things. But I have a very musical brain.'' (DownBeat February, 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

18288 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 142 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 14), 42

From This Moment On ...

February

Fri 20: Alex Clarke w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Clarke w. Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.
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: Squabble @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:00pm. Steve Chambers (organ); Jude Murphy (double bass, vocals); Sid White (drums).
Fri 20: Jive Aces @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors).
Fri 20: Alex Clarke w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Clarke w. Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.

Sat 21: ???

Sun 22: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 22: Joe Steels Group @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. A Blue Patch album tour.
Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Harben Kay Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 23: Joe Steels Group @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. A Blue Patch album tour.
Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 24: Finn-Keeble Group @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00.
Tue 24: Liam Oliver & Shayo Oshodi @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Geordie Jazz Jam @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Newcastle University jam session. All welcome.
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 26: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £6.50.
Thu 26: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00 adv.
Thu 26: Mick Cantwell Band @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Blues.

Fri 27: Joe Steels Group @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! A Blue Patch album tour.
Fri 27: Alan Barnes w. Mick Shoulder Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Trio: Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 27: Radio Hito + Eddie Prévost, Silvain Schmid & Tom Wheatley @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £12.22., £10.10., £8.00.
Fri 27: Giacomo Smith w Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.
Fri 27: Alan Barnes w. Mick Shoulder Trio @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Trio: Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).

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

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra live streaming from Frith St. - Feb. 21

MD Pete Long was wisecracking before the down beat. Appropriately, Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra opened with Chick Corea's Got a Match? No more to be said, RSJO launched into Freddy Gavita's arrangement of Chameleon, on which Dave O'Higgins blew the roof off!  A fast moving show brought on the first of the evening's vocalists, Mr Iain Mackenzie, to sing I Love Paris (arr. P. Long). Callum Au's arrangement of It's Alright with Me kept Mackenzie on stage, although he was in danger of being blown away by Sammy Mayne's coruscating alto sax solo!

Billy Strayhorn's 1950 arrangement of Take the 'A' Train served as a tribute to a long-time supporter of the band, Long charged pianist Robin Aspland with bringing it in, sometime Kansas Smitty's 'bone man Higham picking it up, Alex Garnett's tenor taking it out in style. More Ellington, Aspland again, on Mountain Harissa from Duke's Far East Suite (O'Higgins exceptional solo). Baritone sax Paul Nathaniel's measured riff on Hot Toddy had its usual mesmerizing effect. Simple but effective. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square arranged by 'Britain's poshest Geordie' (Mark Armstrong), quipped Long, gave all sections the opportunity to shine. 

Please welcome to the stage, a last minute replacement for Georgina Jackson, all the way from Whitstable* Ms Louise Cookman, to sing Night and Day (arr. P. Long). And on to Vincent Youmans' Tea for Two arranged as a cha-cha by MD Long. Finally, Ed Richardson set up an unlikely finale, Stone Fox Chase (Old Grey Whistle Test theme).  

* By coincidence your reviewer was enjoying a bottle of Whitstable Bay Brewery's Pale Ale (4%).   
Russell         


Pete Long (MD, clarinet); Louise Cookman (vocals); Iain Mackenzie (vocals); Nathan Bray, George Hogg, Mark Armstrong, Freddy Gavita (trumpets); Andy Flaxman, Callum Au, Daniel Higham, Mark Frost (trombones); Adrian Revell, Sammy Mayne, Dave O'Higgins, Alex Garnett, Paul Nathaniel (saxophones); Robin Aspland (piano); Steve Pearce (double bass, bass guitar); Ed Richardson (drums) 
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1 comment :

Chris Kilsby said...

I saw the first part of this show. The first thing that struck me was the proximity of players and lack of masks (even for drummer/bass/keys/conductor). This looked like a pre-Covid session to me! By contrast the trio on KSTV were well separated and masked.

Do they have any other precautions at Ronnies - more ventilation, testing? or am I right to be alarmed? Knowing what we know about indoor transmission, and the prodigious "blowing", surely they can't afford to endanger players of the calibre of Dave O'Higgins!

Chris K

Monday, February 22, 2021 1:22:00 pm

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