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

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

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.

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

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

NQ Jazz, in partnership with The Stoller Hall and The Yard, announce new live music dates for 2021, featuring Soweto Kinch, Norma Winstone, Mark Lockheart and more

(Press release)

Live jazz makes a triumphant return to Manchester with new concert series 

Featuring some of the biggest names in live jazz alongside rising stars 

Manchester venues The Stoller Hall and The Yard become new venue partners for NQ Jazz this year, with a range of COVID-safe lunchtime concerts, evening concerts and masterclasses 

The new programme will develop the jazz musicians of the future through partnership with Chetham's School of Music and RNCM Upcoming jazz musicians will showcase their music on a global stage with concerts and online streams

Manchester’s growing reputation for live jazz is set to be catapulted in 2021, with a line-up of established and emerging musicians and two new venue partners. 

Manchester-based live music promoters NQ Jazz have established a brand-new partnership with two unique venues in Manchester; 500-seat music-venue, The Stoller Hall and new arts space, The Yard

Their latest venture will bring some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians to Manchester for a series of socially distanced lunchtime concerts and masterclasses, evening concerts and live broadcasts. Through a hybrid programme of live performances, high-quality online broadcasts and performance archive, the programme will reach a global audience. 

Amongst the artists involved are multiple MOBO award-winning saxophonist and composer Soweto Kinch, seminal vocalist Norma Winstone alongside long-term collaborators Stan Sulzmann and Nikki Iles, plus Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year 2016, Mark Lockheart, the renowned saxophonist and bandleader who rose to prominence with the influential big band Loose Tubes. 

In addition to established artists, the partnership will champion rising stars and develop young talent, working with Manchester’s prestigious music school, Chetham’s, on a range of public Masterclasses, as well as providing opportunities for Manchester’s student community to learn from leading jazz artists by working with the RNCM and the University of Manchester. 

BBC Young Jazz Musician competitor and recent Edition Records signing Fergus McCreadie returns in July, performing with his trio in support of their outstanding new album, Cairn. Virtuosic jazz guitarist Rob Luft, a Jazz FM ‘Breakthrough Act’ and Parliamentary Jazz ‘Instrumentalist of the Year’ award recipient in 2018, brings his quintet to the night in September, whilst the superb vocalist and Elftet member Ella Hohnen-Ford brings her own TreeClimbers project to Manchester in July. 

NQ Jazz is also pleased to continue its series of live improvised soundtracks to silent film, this time focussed around a ‘seminal sci-fi’ theme, curated by guitarist and music for film expert José Dias. The five film nights will include live scores to classics such as Nosferatu, The Lost World and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, from musicians across the improvised music spectrum. 

The COVID-safe events will be held in compliance with Government guidance, with audiences given the option of rescheduled dates and online broadcasts if restrictions prevent concerts from going ahead as planned. NQ Jazz and its partners have been issued with Visit England 'We're Good to Go' Industry Standard certificates.

Emily Burkhardt, Artistic Director at NQ Jazz: 

“We’re delighted to be working alongside a diverse and wonderful spread of partners for our upcoming season, to bring more of the music we love to Manchester via our two brilliant new partner venues. We’re exceptionally proud to present this programme, featuring many of the UK’s most celebrated and exciting musicians. 

“With The Stoller Hall being an internationally recognised state of the art concert hall and The Yard being a beautiful & intimate new arts space, bursting with creative vibrancy, we hope that there will be something for everyone in our programme!” 

Fran Healey, General Manager of The Stoller Hall: 

“Creating exceptional live music experiences for our audiences is what we’ve been doing ever since we opened our doors and we’re so excited for that to continue with a year-round programme of live jazz. 

“This is a first for The Stoller Hall and for Manchester, where we can champion new music talent through our work with Chetham’s and showcase established musicians on our global stage.” 

Jo Hamburger, General Manager of The Yard: 

“Our values have always been built on showcasing the finest creative talent from and visiting the North West. With this in mind, we are beyond delighted about our new partnership with NQ Jazz, which will bring first class Jazz to the North side of Manchester on Monday nights from June 2021. We look forward to watching the community flourish and grow.” 


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