Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 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

18799 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 663 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 12) 32.

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

August

Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: John Settle Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. John Settle (vibes); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 14: Bold Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £8.00 + bf.

Sat 15: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 15: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £16.26.

Sun 16: Vintage Explosion @ Cliffe Park, Roker, Sunderland SR6 8DB. 5:00-10:30pm. £44.00 (inc. bf).

Mon 17: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 20: Edson Angus Quartet @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 20: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Sunday Night @ The Globe: Hand to Mouth - Feb. 21

Lindsay Hannon (vocals); Bradley Johnston (guitars)

(Screenshot by Russell)

Another masterclass in the art of jazz voice and jazz guitar from Lindsay and Brad. Two of the most musically compatible performers on the scene.

No major surprises apart from Brad's decision to switch back and forth between classical and electric guitars (I won't mention his red socks apart from to say that if red socks were good enough for Django then every guitarist should be wearing red socks).

Not that Django was on the menu tonight. Tonight's inspiration was Joe Pass.

Hand to Mouth initially built their repertoire around the albums Joe Pass recorded with Ella although tonight they also tried out a few different things that whilst in the Pass/Ella idiom were equally identifiable as Johnston/Lindsay interpretations.

Some gentle, haunting, chords from Brad brought the vocal in on Solitude. This was good! They continued with You Stepped Out of a Dream and Bewitched (Rodgers and Hart), complete with verse, and already the comments box was filling up with smiling, applauding emojis.

A switch to the Ibanez electric for Love me or Leave me. It was taken slightly slower than is Lindsay's norm and it didn't suffer at all!

You've Changed; All Too Soon; You'd be so Nice to Come Home to and But Beautiful. Is there a singer on the scene who can sing such classic songs better than Lindsay? Answers on the back of a postage stamp. 

Back to the nylon-stringer for One Note Samba and a suggestion of Portuguese in the vocal. More Rodgers and Hart with You Took Advantage of me followed by one of my all time favourite songs - 'Tis Autumn. Takes me back to hearing George Evans singing it with Geraldo (on record, I hasten to add!).

The set closed with Some Other Time - played and sung beautifully.

Sunday Night at The Globe - it's the only game in town. Next week The John Pope Quintet.
Lance

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