Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: ''It was then that Coltrane came along and single-handedly brought this dimension of spirituality into jazz. It was a pivotal experience to me.'' (DownBeat September, 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

19,012 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 876 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 16) 55.

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

October.

Sat 17: SunOrbitUs @ Culture House, Sunderland. 11:00am - 5:00pm. Closing event in a year-long piece of music. 11:00am-1:00pm Improvisation workshop w. Faye MacCalman; 2:00-5:00pm Collective Improvised Performance by Sunderland residents. SOLD OUT!
Sat 17: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 17: Martin Taylor @ Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £48.72; £43.37. Solo guitar. SOLD OUT!

Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Jump jive.
Sun 18: Guisborough Big Band @ Redcar Rugby Club. 5:00-8:00pm. ‘Charity Big Band Birthday Bash’ in aid of Parkinson’s UK & Young Sounds UK. Free (donations on the door).
Sun 18: Martin Taylor @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £23.30. Solo guitar.
Sun 18: Ben Crosland Quartet with Steve Waterman @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 19: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Pete Tanton (trumpet, flugelhorn).
Tue 20: Graham Hardy’s Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Head, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Tickets from Tully’s, Rothbury. Coquetdale Jazz. Note change of venue.
Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, Scotty Adair.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 21: FILM: Blue Moon @ Washington Arts Centre. 1:00pm. £4.50 (inc. bf). Biopic of lyricist Lorenz Hart.
Wed 21: De'Sean Jones’ Urban Art Orchestra @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.; £5.00. student, unwaged; free to Mercury Awards ticket holders. De'Sean Jones (tenor sax, EWI); Tjoe Man Cheung (guitar); Mikele Montolli (double bass) + others TBA.
Wed 21: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 21: Roby Glod-Steve Sewell Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Thu 22: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 22: Mercury Prize @ Utility Arena Newcastle. 8:00pm. £60.25.; £48.75. Line-up inc. Knats.
Thu 22: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bandstand!, Exhibition Park, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.20 (inc. bf) via Instagram. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Thu 22: Olly Styles Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.75.

Fri 23: Sara Oschlag w. Arnie Somogyi Trio @ The Lit & Phil. 1:00pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); John Hirst (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 23: Maja Bugge & Dave Evans @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Fri 23: Knats @ King Street Social Club, North Shields. 7:00pm. £17.00., £14.70., £11.30., £5.50. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.
Fri 23: Sara Oschlag & Arnie Somogyi w. Ben Lawrence @ Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); Arnie Somogyi (double bass).
Fri 23: Ronnie Scott’s Soho Songbook @ Redhills, Durham. 8:00pm. James Pearson (piano); Sam Burgess (double bass); Chris Higginbottom (drums); Alex Garnett (sax); Polly Gibbons (vocals). Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: SwanNek + Jacob Egglestone @ Fabio’s Bar, Durham. 9:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Jazz gets reset!

(Press release)

JazzReset21 @SevenArts Leeds, live and online, 20 May – 22 July

A massive programme of live jazz music has been announced for 2021 in Leeds to get the live jazz scene going again after lockdown.

Called JazzReset21 and running for three months, the programme will feature dozens of COVID-safe events, concerts and masterclasses by established and emerging artists, from Ian Shaw on 27 May to Byron Wallen on 17
June .The programme is part of an attempt to bring live jazz back to Leeds, and sees live music promoters JazzLeeds in partnership with Chapel Allerton arts space, Seven Arts.

Amongst the artists involved are international jazz superstar singer Ian Shaw, exciting trumpet player Byron Wallen,  sax woman Josephine Davies’s spiritual jazz group “Satori”, superb pianists Liam Noble and Andrew McCormack, Leeds bassist Adrian Knowles and his “Sound of 59” audio visual reimagining of music by Monk, Miles and Mingus and Rafe’s Dilemma with their musical collaborations with Northern playwrights. JazzRest21 starts with   a new sextet led by Leeds based Scottish trumpeter Malcolm Strachan “About Time” on 20th May at Seven Arts. 

In addition to established artists, JazzReset21 will champion rising stars and young talent from Leeds. The Sunday afternoon programme at Seven Arts will include College Collection – two concert from some of the final year students at Leeds Conservatoire offering them their first chance to perform in over a year. There will also be a special Sunday concert by Leeds singer Louise Gibbs, with veteran saxists Frank Griffith  with a tribute to Duke Ellington

Says organiser Steve Crocker –“People have been starved of live music for so long, and musicians are itching to perform again live. We were the only jazz club presenting live music in the UK last summer and have the opportunity to present an even more ambitious programme this year”

More details : www.jazzleeds.org.uk.

Steve Crocker  (JazzLeeds).

JazzReset21 programme @Seven Arts, 31 Harrogate Road, Leeds LS73PD.

9 and 16 May – College Collection 21. Leeds Conservatoire and JazzLeeds present music from rising star jazz students from the Conservatoire 1.30pm – live stream only.

20 May: “About Time” Malcolm Strachan’s new sextet featuring with Nico Widdowson, piano, Courtny Tomas double bass, Erroll Rollins drums, Atholl Ransome, tenor saxophone, Danny Barley trombone, and Malcolm himself on trumpet -  live and livestream options 7.30pm.

23 May: Tessa Smith Quintet – jazz singer, choir organiser and Lindy Hopper Tessa Smith with a quintet featuring Stuart McDonald on sax. 1.30pm live performance.

30 May: “We love you madly” – Louis Gibbs with a tribute to the music of Duke Ellington featuring Frank Griffith on sax and Richard Wetherall piano - live and livestream options 1.30pm.

27 May*: International singing superstar (and one-time stand-up comedian) Ian Shaw - “What’s New” with saxman Iain Ballamy and pianist Jamie Safir piano presenting music from their lockdown album - 2 concerts 7pm and 9.00pm,  live and livestream options.

3 June Liam Noble “The Long Game” feat Liam Noble piano, Seb Rochford drums and Tom Herbert bass. 7.30pm live and livestream options.

10 June "Satori", spiritual jazz trio with Josephine Davies tenor, Dave Whitford bass and James Maddren drums. 7.30pm live and livestream options.

17 June: Byron Wallen “Four Corners” with Byron Wallen trumpet, Rob Luft, guitar, Paul Michael bass, Rod Young drums - live and livestream options.

24 June: Andrew McCormack solo and trio – Andrew McCormack piano, Joe Downard on bass and Rod Youngs on drums - live and livestream options.

8 July "Rafe’s Dilemma" celebrate their new collaborations with local playwrights featuring Nel Begley on vocals, Jamil Sheriff keyboards, Sam Vicary bass, and Katie Patterson drums - live and livestream options.

22 July "Sound of 59" celebrate the music of that famous jazz year with Joel Purnell tenor saxophone, Jim Corry alto saxophone, Mark Chandler trumpet, Kevin Holbrough trombone, Jason Scott piano, Adrian Knowles double bass, Caroline Boaden drums - live and livestream options.

Thursday evenings concerts starting time 7.30pm (except *) Sunday afternoon concerts starting time 1.30pm. Tickets in advance only, limited seating. Live performance with livestream options. Tickets are on sale here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/jazzleeds  More gigs be announced soon including community jam sessions, rush hour jazz in the Seven Arts bar and a mini summer jazz festival! All in the superb intimate atmosphere of Seven Arts, with table service, great music, licensed bar, reduced numbers social distancing. Tickets in advance only with livestream options.

Contact - Steve Crocker (info@jazzleeds.org.uk, 07544 352594)

JazzLeeds are proud to acknowledge the help and support we receive/havereceived from: Arts at Leeds, Leeds Inspired, Arts Council England, Seven Arts Leeds

No comments :

Blog Archive