Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 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

18799 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 663 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 12) 32.

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

August

Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: John Settle Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. John Settle (vibes); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 14: Bold Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £8.00 + bf.

Sat 15: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 15: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £16.26.

Sun 16: Vintage Explosion @ Cliffe Park, Roker, Sunderland SR6 8DB. 5:00-10:30pm. £44.00 (inc. bf).

Mon 17: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 20: Edson Angus Quartet @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 20: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

The Birmingham, Sandwell & Westside Jazz Festival - latest

(Press release)     

As shops, bars and restaurants across Birmingham reopen for business and Brummies start looking forward to spending the summer doing what they enjoy best, music fans in the city have an extra reason to be cheerful.

The 37th consecutive year of The Birmingham, Sandwell & Westside Jazz Festival is confirmed to take place in the city and across the region for the ten guaranteed sun-soaked days from Friday 16th to Sunday 25th July.

Remarkably, the 10 day festival did take place in the Covid-dominated 2020, still live but during the slightly later period of October, neatly fitting into the gap between lockdowns. Although it was a truncated version, it was, we believe, the only live festival or event of any size to take place last year in Birmingham – and probably further afield.

This summer the festival will be back to something approaching what is expected from this event, that has entertained residents and attracted visitors over recent decades.

The festival will present over 100 performances, with more than 90% of them free to the public. As well as jazz, blues, swing, dixieland and more, there will also be free ukulele, jitterbug, vocal and instrumental workshops open to all comers of any age and ability.

It is bound to be a wild few weeks in the jazz festival office, talking to venues, booking musicians, recruiting volunteers, ordering programmes, posters and T-shirts ready for the programme announcement at the beginning of June.

The venues, bars, restaurants, shopping centres and markets where the festival is hosted will all strictly adhere to social distancing and all other requirements regarding Covid.

Music fans can find more information on this year’s performances and sign up to the festival mailing list to receive news of the programme as it’s announced at www.birminghamjazzfestival.com.

A selection of high resolution photographs by festival Photographer-in-Residence Merlin Daleman can be downloaded here.

For further information, please contact Jim Simpson on:                jim@bigbearmusic.com / 0121 454 7020


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