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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Hey Remember This @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 14: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Philip Larkin’s Jazz Experiment.
Thu 14: Jerron Paxton @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb country blues.
Thu 14: Solcade @ the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. 7:00pm. EP launch. Rivkala & co..
Thu 14: Jacob Egglestone @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums) & guests.
Thu 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: 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 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Thursday, May 06, 2021

Luke Smith: Livestream from Ronnie Scott's - May 6

(Screenshot by Ken Drew)
Luke Smith (keys); Richie Garrison (tenor/soprano sax); Sid Gauld (trumpet/flugel); Charlie Allen (guitar); David Mrakpor (bass guitar); Josh McNasty (drums) + Joy Rose.

A pleasant surprise, I say surprise as, having led a sheltered life, I was unfamiliar, apart from Smith, with the musicians and, with me, unfamiliarity often breeds contempt. Not so tonight, tonight was a nice groovy mix of funk, jazz, rock and related genres that, as the night progressed, dug deeper and deeper into my soul.

It all began very sedately with Smith producing some symphonic synthesised string sounds from the sea of keyboards he was swimming in. The piece was, appropriately, called The Beginning - Prologue. Travelling, that brought the full band in,  had a funky groove with a guitar blast by Allen that made me think I was back at Woodstock.

(Screenshot by Ken Drew)
Keyboarder Smith produced some B3 sounds on Message to Brazil before deciding that, as he was in a jazz club, he'd better play some jazz! He opted for Herbie's Cantaloupe Island which gave Gauld and Garrison a rare opportunity to solo. Most of the time they were operating as a horn section.

Throughout, Mrakpor was impressive getting a great sound from his five string electric. I couldn't tell you the make as the fingerboard was so long that I'd have needed a pair of binoculars to read the name on the head-stock!

The Best is Yet to Come, an original by Smith was played as a solo and it exuded sensitivity. New Dawn led to True Love (nothing to do with Cole Porter!) that introduced Joy Rose who, I gather, had prerecorded her part as she was heard but not seen. The horns, on flugel and soprano respectively, had solos and, after It's Time, Garrison had a feature on Babylon.

(Collage by Ken Drew)
The session finished with a free for all, including backing vocals from the in-house staff, on We're Going Home - not to be confused with the Vieux Carré Jazzmen's version of a similarly titled tune. This one had an extended quote from My Favorite Things - over to you VCJ!

Nice session and, if the band ever go north, don't go to Manchester - Luke's home town - go to Newcastle and Hoochie Coochie. You belong with each other ...

Lance

PS: Josh McNasty was wicked!

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