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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 2025).

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

17985(and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 306 of them this year alone and, so far, 62 this month (April 26).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Seaburn. 4:30-6:15pm. Free.
Fri 02: Nauta @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:00pm. £7.50. A ‘Nauta’s House’ gig featuring Nauta & guests Shayo Oshodi & David Gray.
Fri 02: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 02: Dom Pipkin @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Solo piano.
Fri 02: Abbie Finn Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00. + bf.

Sat 03: Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Summer Samba Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 03: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Postmodern Jukebox @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Sat 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:30pm. Free.

Sun 04: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 04: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:00-5:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 04: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 04: Ben Crosland Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 05: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

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

Saturday, March 20, 2021

The Len Phillips Big Band live @ Abbey Road - March 21

The natives were getting restless. 2:30pm was the advertised start time and it was fast approaching 3:00pm. The sidebar comments provided light relief for a while but, just as I was about to abandon ship, a few bars of What's New? erupted from the speakers. I don't know if this is the band's theme song or if it was a reflection on a "jazz" gig starting late but, whatever, we were up and running.

Sammy Nestico's arrangement of Strike Up the Band got things moving and it included a fine tenor solo from one of the saxophone players - there weren't many name checks although, in fairness there weren't very many solos to give a shout out to.

This was a singer's night or, to be more precise a Matt Ford night. Ford's a good singer as he proved on Lady is a Tramp, Blue Skies, South of the Border, I Wanna be Like You, In the Still of the Night and From Russia With Love.

There were a couple of instrumentals squeezed in during this first set. George Hogg and Russell Bennett made a decent fist of imagining what Ted Heath's ace trumpet men Bobby Pratt and Bert Ezard would have done to On a Slow Boat to China. The camera man gave us a shot of two trombones. Harold Fisher worked out on that good old perennial, Buddy Rich's Love For Sale. He did good, he'd obviously played it before - him and every other big band drummer in the world! There were solos by tenor and trumpet but, again, no names no pack drill although names were read out to some of the many listeners who had birthdays in and around now.

Interval time and a 1996 interview with the band's founder the late Len Phillips. What a lovely guy and how proud he would have been to witness his brainchild playing at Abbey Road.

Back to today and off they went with Intermission Riff. A fitting choice as he was an avid Kenton fan. I wonder if he ever met Margaret Barnes?

Matt was back for Something's Gotta Give, Make Someone Happy and Sonny Boy. My heart leapt when it was announced that this latter number was based on the Woody Herman version from the album My Kind of Jolson. I remember vividly hearing it by Woody at Newcastle City Hall way back and the goosebumps I got when the band came in after the vocal and raised it up a tone. The goosebumps returned when I heard it again today!

Chris Traves wasn't in the trombone section - he was up in the control box - nevertheless he vacated this responsible position to play Mood Indigo along with Jon Shenoy on clarinet.

Nicola Emmanuelle was billed as 'a special guest' which suggested that Matt Ford was but an ordinary guest. The special guest sang Can't Buy me Love - you couldn't play Abbey Road without singing a Beatles' number and, as Ella had also recorded the same song here, she  had few options. She was great and I look forward to hearing her again.

Matt returned for Besame Mucho and Spiderman which sounded rather like Sing, Sing, Sing before leaving us with How Do You Speak to an Angel? - How indeed!

An enjoyable afternoon that really needed a better venue or were they recording?

Lance

MD Joe Pettitt; Matt Ford (vocals); Nicole Emmanuelle (vocals); Nigel Hailwood, Jon Shenoy, David Black, Simon Mars, Gemma Moore (reeds); Jon Stokes, Richard Wigley, Tom Dunnett, Bob Maslin (trombones); Russell Bennett, Andy Gathercole, George Hogg, James Davison (trumpets); Bunny Thompson (piano); Paul Morgan (double bass); Harold Fisher (drums).

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