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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sun 09: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 09: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ The Forum, Billingham. 3:00pm.
Sun 09: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 09: Tom Remon & Mark Williams @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 09: Rod Oughton’s Tomorrow’s New Quartet with Ben van Helder @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Deschanel Gordon.
Sun 09: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 11: Steve Summers Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Free. Inc. Olly Styles (tenor sax).
Thu 13: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: Artist Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Hannabiell & Midnight Blue.
Thu 13: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 12:30-1:30pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
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: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Ten albums by bass players - Part two

3. Charles Mingus – The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963)

One of the great Impulse modern jazz albums. If you don’t have this in your collection you should go and stand in the corner of the room until you feel better. Despite not containing any of Mingus’ best known tunes this is a tremendously strong suite of compositions that stands up against anything else recorded before or since, the opening track alone includes enough themes and variations to fill the career of a lesser composer. This album throws up the question whether Mingus is a greater composer than he is a bass player. Difficult to answer when, at times a huge, wide, interactive frenzy is built on the support provided by Mingus’ bass. He gives us soul, wailing plantation blues, weeping gospel, urban torch song, a folk waltz, frantic Mexicali strumming and Gershwinesque grandeur and it all hangs together. It would be a breath taking ballet.

4. Jaco Pastorius – Truth Liberty & Soul (1982, released 2017)

The Hendrix of the bass was a perfect fit for Weather Report’s ‘We never solo but we always solo’ ethos. I suspect that many bass players at the time heard Jaco with Weather Report and went off to train as accountants. This album was released in 2017 and I chose it as it’s a great showcase for his bass playing. Even when the band is at a roaring full throttle the bass is always prominent and always exciting and the playing of Peter Erskine on drums and Don Alias on percussion creates a rampaging three-headed rhythm beast. There is so much life and joy in this album, it’s almost overwhelming. Played at the right volume, it’s a great way to meet the neighbours.

An excellent 96 page booklet is included with the CD though ‘Jaco’ by Bill Milkowski is the essential reading if you want to get fully depressed about what was lost with his death in 1987.

5. Marc Johnson – Bass Desires (1986)

I was tempted to discuss Swept Away, Johnson’s more recent, and equally excellent, album with his wife Eliane Elias but went for this one as I like the work by both of the two featured guitarists, John Scofield and Bill Frisell. The guitar synthesizer that Frisell plays places it firmly in the 1980s, as do the mullets on the band photo on the inside cover. Johnson had been Bill Evans’ bassist towards the end of his career before forming this Bass Desires Band. Scofield provides curling, oblique, angular guitar in his trademark fashion, Erskine is constant in support, his drums bubbling under on each tune and Frisell’s guitar synthesizer adds washes of colour without muting the effect of what’s going on. Highlights include the Hollywood Chinese dance of Samurai Hee-Haw, Coltrane’s Resolution and the title track. Dave Sayer

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