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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

18043 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 364 of them this year alone and, so far, 42 this month (May 15).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Mon 19: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.
Tue 20: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth NE61 1ND. 8:00pm.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 21: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public). b Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 22: Nuevo Castillo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £5.00.
Thu 22: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:30-9:15pm. Free.
Thu 22: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 23: Dean Stockdale Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. ‘Celebrating Oscar’.
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: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Joe Steels Group @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. + £1.55. bf. A Northumberland Jazz Festival fringe event.
Fri 23: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 23: Gaz Hughes Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.
Fri 23: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £19.00.; £17.00. ‘Time After Time’.

Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:15pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bywell Hall, Stocksfield. 1:30pm. Northumberland County Show.
Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm.
Sat 24: Dean Stockdale Quartet + Mingus Sings @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Stockdale (piano); Tim Williams (guitar); Gavin Barras (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums) + Mingus Sings: Sara Oschlag (vocals); Alan Barnes (reeds); Tim Lapthorn (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); Clark Tracey (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sat 24: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 24: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sat 24: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 24: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 25: Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion: Bandstand Sessions @ The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free. A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Spanish City Plaza (outdoor stage). 1:00pm. Free. A Whitley Bay Carnival event.
Sun 25: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Catriona Bourne Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Bourne (harp), Francis Tulip (guitar), James Owston (double bass), Joe Bainbridge (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Struggle Buggy @ The Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 25: Joe Steels Group + Norma Winstone (vocals); Nikki Iles (piano); Mike Walker (guitar); Steve Watts (double bass). 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Steels (guitar); Ferg Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Susans (double bass); John Hirst (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 25: Xhosa Cole/Neil Charles/Mark Sanders @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A JNE promotion. Note: Xhosa Cole replaces Nicole Mitchell.

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

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Top Ten Jazz Guitar Recordings 1925 - 1975 by Maurice Summerfield

See below my choice TOP TEN Jazz Guitar records below for 1925 - 1975.  Of course to select only TEN is really impossible.  TOP 100 1921 -2021 would be a more realistic task.

I am aware that many great jazz guitarists are not included in this list.  George Van Eps, George Barnes, Bucky Pizzarelli, Johnny Smith, Oscar Moore, Billy Bauer, Mundell Lowe, Chuck Wayne, Joe Puma, Howard Roberts, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green, Rene Thomas, Marty Grosz, Sacha Distel, Elek Bacsik, Pat Martino, Ed Bickert, John Pisano, George Benson, Martin Taylor, Ulf Wakenius and more all have recordings that should be included.

Then there are more recent jazz guitarists who I do not really appreciate but many jazz lovers do.  Pat Metheny, Larry Coryell,  John McLaughlin, John Abercrombie, John Scofield, Bill Frissell and more.   

And finally the great Gypsy jazz guitarists including Babik Reinhardt, Bireli Lagrene, Stochelo Rosenberg,  Dorado Schmidt, Joscho Stephan, Frank Vignola and more have made great jazz recordings

Bearing this in mind here is my listing.   

Eddie Lang - Carl Kress - Dick McDonough: Pioneers of Jazz Guitar - Retrieval RTR 79015.

Django Reinhardt: 24 Classic Performances  - Poll Winner Records  PWR 27201.

Charlie Christian: The Genius of Electric Guitar  - Sony Legacy Recordings  Columbia C4K 15564.

Barney Kessel: Easy Like  Vol. 1  - Contemporary OJCCD-153-2.

Tal Farlow: The Interpretations  of Tal Farlow - Verve CD2753.

Herb Ellis and Joe Pass: Two for the Road - Pablo  OJCCD-726-2.

Jim Hall: Jim Hall Trio - Gambit CD 69259.

Jimmy Raney: Jimmy Raney/A - Prestige  OJCCD-1706-2.

Wes Montgomery: The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery - Riverside OJCCD 036-2.

Lenny Breau: Lenny Breau Live at Shelly Manne's Hole - One Way Records OW29315 CD.

Maurice S.

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2 comments :

Chris Kilsby said...

Nice! Thanks for this Maurice.

Over to Steve T for the 1975-2021 Top Ten then?!

I'll check these early ones out, following a comment to me from Lance that he didn't think (as I do) of Wes Montgomery as "old school" - I obviously need to get a longer perspective!

Chris

Wednesday, March 31, 2021 12:45:00 pm
Steve T said...

Fraid I'm a bit of a dinosaur too:

Wes Montgomery - Smokin at the Half Note 1965.
Steve Marcus - Tomorrow Never Knows 1968.
Mahavishnu Orchestra featuring John McLaughlin - Visions of the Emerald Beyond 1975.
George Benson - In Concert at Carnegie Hall 1976.
Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life 1976.
Shakti featuring John McLaughlin - Natural Elements 1977.
James Blood Ulmer - Tales of Captain Black 1978.
Al Di Meola, Jean Luc Ponty, Stanley Clark - Rite of Strings 1995.
Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Next Step 2001.
Larry Coryell - Impressions 2008.

And we've come full circle.

Thursday, April 01, 2021 12:49:00 am

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