Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (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

18621 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 485 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 14) 37

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

June

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 18: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 18: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 18: 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 19: Joe Steels Group @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. 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 Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 19: Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £14.33., £11.16., £8.00.
Fri 19: Martin Litton @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 (inc. bf); £6.50 (inc. bf); £15.00 on the door. Solo piano. CANCELLED!
Fri 19: Jools Holland’s R&B Orchestra @ Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Joe Webb support set.
Fri 19: Hot Club du Nord @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 19: Jive Aces: The Roots of Rock & Roll @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £20.00 + bf.

Sat 20: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Tynedale Beer Festival, Corbridge. 5:00-6:00pm.
Sat 20: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 20: Red Kites Jazz @ Staithes Café, Dunston. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Trinity Church, Gosforth, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. NCRO w. guests Dean Stockdale & Nick Ward.

Sun 21: From Lagos to Longbenton: Unity in the Community @ Sunderland Minster. From 1:30pm. Free. A multi-bill Unity in the Community event, inc. From Lagos to Longbenton.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio w. Graham Hardy.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 22: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 23: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Monday, May 10, 2021

Album review: Amber Weekes - 'Round Midnight Re-Imagined

Hazel's Hips - a bump and grind number written by Oscar Brown Jr. got me fascinated from the off to the extent that I was thinking about those hips of Hazel more than I perhaps should have been! Incidentally, Weekes' performance is dedicated to a thwarted romance between the then unknown Sidney Poitier and her Aunt Dolores who, at the time, was waitressing at a luncheonette he frequented. 

Summer Samba - as nice and frothy as it usually is with the bonus of a violin solo by Mark Cargill who also did the string arrangement.

Christo Redentor/I Want Jesus to Walk With Me - a doomy religious mix redeemed (no pun intended) by Phil Upchurch's guitar work. Duke Pearson composed the former tune.

Sistermoon/Summertime - another mix (Sting meets the Gershwins) that's given an emotive take. Given the right singer, the much maligned Porgy and Bess opus works. Amber Weekes is very much the right singer for this and, indeed, all 12 tracks.

My Romance - again beautifully sung.

Don't You Feel my Leg - Danny Barker had a hand (in the music) and Lu Barker provided the raunchy lyric: Don't you feel my leg, 'cos if you feel my leg, you'll want to feel my thigh, and if you feel my thigh, you'll want to go up high... Phil Upchurch once again plays some bluesy guitar.

The Bar Suite: Three classic saloon songs of loving and losing. Something Cool; One For my Baby; The Man That Got Away. You've heard them by Christy, Sinatra and Garland and they are, of course, the definitive versions. But, possibly, only because they got there first.

Lovers; 'Round Midnight and More Than You Know round off a superb album by a singer, not unknown to our reviewers and one to check out. If she turns up on a NYC livestream log in even if it means staying up into the wee small hours.

It's been a good year for singers so far and this one ranks alongside all of them.

Lance

Try/buy. 

Amber Weekes (vocals); Danny Grissett/Eddy Olivieri (piano); Trevor Ware (bass); Sherman Ferguson (drums); Louis Van Taylor (alto sax); Phil Upchurch/Greg Cook (guitar); Scott Steen (trumpet); Mark Cargill (violin/producer/string arrangements/conductor + strings.

at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive