Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

My Top Ten hydrology numbers, to brighten up my day job.

1.    River Man – Nick Drake 1969 (and memorably by Zoë Gilby/Andy Champion)

2.    Tickets to Waterfalls – Jack Bruce  1969

3.    A Lotus on Irish Streams – Mahavishnu Orchestra 1971

4.    River People – Weather Report  1978

5.    As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls – Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays 1981

6.    Water from an Ancient Well  - Abdullah Ibrahim 1986

7.    When It Rains – Brad Mehldau  2001

8.    Still Waters – Kenny Wheeler 2005

9.    River Endings – Adam Baldych 2014

10.  Where the River Goes – Wolfgang Muthspiel 2018

Chris K


1 comment :

Steve T said...

River People featured in my mixcloud and is the only Weather Report piece I ever heard played at a jazz-funk night, though I suspect there've been others. I don't really think of them as jazz-funk but - guitarless (except Santana guesting on their final set) - nor do they comfortably fit the jazz-rock tag. I tend to think of them as one of the great moments of post-war music, transcending time and space and genre.

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