Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,086 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 950 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Nov. 7) 20.

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

November

Fri 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Giles Strong (guitar); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 13: Lapwing Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Richard Herdman, Nick Bagnell, Paula Whitty.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED! Returns next week (Fri 20th).
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Hexham Lantern Parade, Bandstand, Sele, Hexham. 6:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Sharp Collective @ Dry Water Arts, Amble. 7:00pm.
Fri 13: East Coast Swing Band @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm.
Fri 13: Guisborough Big Band @ Saltburn Golf Club. 7:30pm. Tickets: £15.00 (inc. pie & peas

Sat 14: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. £95.00. Day 1/2. SOLD OUT!
Sat 14: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 14: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf); £11.00 concs (inc. bf).
Sat 14: Red Kites Jazz @ Staiths Café, Gateshead. 7:00pm.
Sat 14: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Tweed Gallery, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Sun 15: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. Day 2/2. SOLD OUT!
Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ The Waiting Room, Eaglescliffe. 7:00pm. £48.18 (to include dinner); £17.43 (concert only).
Sun 15: Sarah Gillespie & Chris Montague @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00.
Sun 15: Liane Carroll @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Solo performance. SOLD OUT!

Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Jacob Egglestone, Paul Grainger, Joe Deans.
Tue 17: Grammy Season (Laubrock/Seabrook/Lovato/Rainey) @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 19: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 19: Papa G’s Troves @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations).
Thu 19: Marina Josephina @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £10.60; £10.60.; £8.50 Early Bird.

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.

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