Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18602 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 466 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 8) 17

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

June

Fri 12: Look Left + Olly Styles Trio @ The Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Look Left (formerly Littlewood Trio) feat. Marcus Dawe (keyboards); Ifede Osiyemi (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums). Olly Styles Trio feat. Styles (tenor sax); Paul Grainger (double bass); Josh Weir (drums).
Fri 12: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Cleveland Bay Hotel, Eaglescliffe. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 13: Ladies of Midnight Blue + Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Northumberland Miners’ Picnic, Woodhorn Museum, Ashington NE63 9YF. Free. From 10:00am. Ladies of Midnight Blue (3:00-3:45pm); Northern Monkey Brass Band (4:00-4:45pm).
Sat 13: Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 13: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Saltburn Bandstand. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sat 13: Courtney Pine @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £35.80. Pine (saxophones); Robert Mitchell (piano); Rio Kai (double bass); Romarna Campbell (drums). ‘A Modern-Day Jazz Story 1986 - 2026’.

Sun 14: Front Porch Band: Swing Tyne’s Swing Social @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Donations (£5.00. - £10.00. suggested). Swing dance event w. taster class (12:30pm).
Sun 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00-3:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 14: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 14: Doctor Jazz @ The Old Church, Sacriston, Durham. 3:00-5:00pm . Free (donations welcome). New Orleans, blues & classic 20th century songs. Food & soft drinks available, BYOB.
Sun 14: Eddie Gripper Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Gripper (piano); Clem Saynor (double bass); Patrick Barrett-Donlon (drums). Americana album tour.

Mon 15: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 15: Dan Johnson w. Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 16: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 16: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 18: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 18: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 18: 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, March 07, 2021

Live streaming 24/7...for now

Once upon a time the live gig was the occasion. Coat on, door closed, bus/Metro/cycle/walk, come rain or come shine, the social interaction at a gig was very much part of the experience. Now, in these strange times, it's the ubiquitous live stream. Coffee on/bottle opener at hand/nibbles, log on to Facebook/YouTube/other. Until lockdown restrictions are lifted the live stream is the only gig in town. 

It's possible to watch streamed gigs round the clock. At any given moment, from somewhere on the planet, musicians are online seeking to maintain a connection with their once 'live' audience. By way of illustration, the following gives an idea of the quality and quantity of live stream gigs coming up over the next few days. Today (Sunday) at 1:00pm it's Adrian Cox with his accessible Facebook Sunday Service featuring the music of Mezz Mezzrow.

At seven o'clock this evening the Tri State Jazz Society presents Jon-Erik Kellso's EarRegulars (pictured) via Facebook and YouTube and an hour later the choice is yours - Denny Ilett's Electric Lady Big Band playing the music of Jimi Hendrix at Ronnie Scott's or Pete Tanton's Riviera Quartet from Newcastle Jazz Co-op's Railway Street HQ (£7.50 minimum). Don't think of going to bed. At ten o'clock the  Alan Broadbent Trio will be live streaming from Small's, NYC. Broadbent's bass and drums will be Harvie S and Billy Mintz (see www.smallslive.com). 

Monday at 8:00 at Ronnie's is an International Women's Day special presenting Trish Clowes' My Iris (Gateshead lad Chris Montague is in Clewes' band, a great guitarist is Chris) and later in the evening another big name will be streaming from Small's, pianist Ethan Iverson with his trio (10:00pm). Thursday (Mar 11) it's the Emily Francis Trio at Ronnie's (8:00pm). At ten, the Nick Hempton Quartet hits Small's. In December, BSH Editor-in-Chief, LL, said of Hempton's set from GB's Juke Joint: An absolute gem of a session. Reason enough not to miss this one (it could be guitarist Peter Bernstein will be on the gig). And, don't think about going to bed just yet because next door at Mezzrow's at midnight it's the big boss man himself, pianist Spike Wilner (proprietor of Small's and Mezzrow's) with bassist Tyler Mitchell. There's more...Wayne Escoffery (the tenor saxophonist was in the Mingus Big Band when it played Middlesbrough a couple of years ago) on Friday and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt (Saturday), both from Small's, both ten o'clock. 

Worn out? You will be! All week at eight (Tuesday-Saturday) join Osei Mensa at Kansas Smitty's. The sessions are uniformly excellent. Don't miss 'em! Night owl, eh? Log on to Small's website to check out the late night jam sessions starting  at 1:30am. Live streams, don't you just love 'em? Bet you can't wait for normal service (ie live gigs) to be resumed!         

Russell

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