Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (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

18548 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 412 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 19) 66

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

May

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 22: Paul Skerritt @ Market Place, Durham. From 12 noon. Free. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £TBC. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.

Sat 23: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bywell Hall. 2:00pm. Northumberland County Show.
Sat 23: Paul Edis @ Core Music, Gilesgate, Hexham. 3:00pm. £12.00. A Core Music fundraiser, Hexham Jazz Weekender Day/Weekend ticket not applicable. Hexham Jazz Weekender.
Sat 23: Blyth Big Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 6:30pm. £9.00., £5.00.
Sat 23: Paul Edis & Friends @ Musicwonders, Church Chare, Chester-le-Street. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £15.00. www.musicwonders.org. BYOB. SOLD OUT!
Sat 23: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Queen’s Hall Hexham. 7:00pm. £13.50 (inc. bf). Hexham Jazz Weekender.
Sat 23: TC & the Groove Family + Lagos to Longbenton @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sat 23: Davina & the Vagabonds @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £22.00. + £1.50 bf.
Sat 23: Celebrating Wes Montgomery @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 8:15pm. £14.00., £12.00. Hexham Jazz Weekender.
Sat 23: Chris Coull’s Porgy & Bess @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 9:30pm. £16.50 (inc. bf). Hexham Jazz Weekender.

Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 24: SwanNek @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. £11.50 (inc. bf). Hexham Jazz Weekender.
Sun 24: Salty Dog @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free. Donations.
Sun 24: Ben Crosland’s Threeway @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm. £13.50 (inc. bf). Line-up inc. Steve Waterman. Hexham Jazz Weekender.
Sun 24: Society Quartet @ Hilton Garden Inn, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Street Brass Band Bonanza: The Fanfare + Storytellers + Tenth Avenue Band @ The Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £10.00., £8.00.
Sun 24: Charlie Parr @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50. Blues. Jumpin’ Hot Club.
Sun 24: Olly Styles Experience @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00.
Sun 24: Finn-Keeble Group @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 8:15pm. £13.50 (inc. bf). Hexham Jazz Weekender. Feat. Jamil Sheriff.
Sun 24: Modern Vikings @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 9:30pm. £16.50 (inc. bf). Hexham Jazz Weekender.

Mon 25: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 26: Noel Dennis Sextet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £12.00. A Miles Davis centenary concert (Davis b. 26. 5. 1926). Noel Dennis (trumpet); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mark Williams (guitar); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums). SOLD OUT!
Tue 26: Lagos to Longbenton @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington.
. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Wed 27: Neighbourhood Watch + Rivkala @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £5.00. Rivkala (solo).

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.

at

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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