Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

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

Friday, April 30, 2021

International Jazz Day - Scottish National Jazz Orchestra

(Press release)

Hi, I’m in the 12th Century Cathedral of St. Giles, in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland, and just presented JAZZ to 10,000 Scottish primary school kids at 10:00 AM today on International Jazz Day, and as part of Scotland's first Assembly.

The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra are also filming tonight a fantastic symbiotic collaboration called WHERE RIVERS MEET with visual artist Maria Rud which will be released on May 12.

I’d like to welcome all of you to our celebration of International Jazz Day, where people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and beliefs join forces and prove, without a doubt, that our similarities are more powerful than our differences.

Jazz is about freedom and will always be about freedom, freedom to expand, freedom to explore and to encourage and courage. Jazz keeps you evolving with its ever-evolving nature.

We give our heartfelt thanks and send our love to health workers worldwide for saving lives, working tirelessly day in day out.

And our most profound appreciation and gratitude to our heroes, the essential workers, putting their lives on the front line for total strangers due to the Coronavirus pandemic encircling our globe.

This year we’re still unable to perform live, but our hearts and gratefulness go out to everyone who continues to support the SNJO.

Below is a link to an extract from our 25th Anniversary concert from Perth Concert Hall. 

https://youtu.be/vxA_5-fgXB4

On behalf of the SNJO, I would like to send a message for peace and goodwill to all the nations around the world celebrating the gift of music and International Jazz Day.

Tommy Smith

SCOTTISH NATIONAL JAZZ ORCHESTRA

‘If I Were A Bell’ by Frank Loesser

arranged by Kieran McLeod

Saxophones: Martin Kershaw, Paul Towndrow, Tommy Smith, Konrad Wisniewski, Bill Fleming Trumpets: Jim Davison, Sean Gibbs, Tom MacNiven, Lorne Cowieson Trombones: Kieran McLeod, Liam Shortall, Anoushka Nanguy, Michael Owers Piano: Pete Johnstone Acoustic Bass: Calum Gourlay Drums: Alyn Cosker

Recorded Live on 5th December 2020 Perth Concert Hall

Stage Manager Ashley Holland Live

Sound Engineer Mark McKellen

Assistant Engineer Mark Renfrew

Live Lighting Technician Rebekah Pattison

Live Video Mixing: John Pike Video

Photography: Derek Clark & Perthshire Sound & Light

SNJO Manager Lindsay Robertson

SNJO Artist Director Tommy Smith

Supported by Creative Scotland

www.snjo.co.uk

 

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