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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

17805 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 126 of them this year alone and, so far, 51 this month (Feb.16).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30pm-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 22: Mississippi MacDonald @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Blues.
Sat 22: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Laundrette, Durham. 7:45pm. £16.50. SOLD OUT!
Sat 22: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Country blues guitar & vocals.

Sun 23: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Mark Williams Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 23: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 23: Mississippi MacDonald @ Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. Blues.
Sun 23: Mu Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!
Sun 23: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 24: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 24: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tue 25: ?

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Jamie McCredie @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. THIS WEEK ONLY JAMES BIRKETT (guitar)!
Fri 28: Luis Verde Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 28: Spilt Milk @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 28: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Fri 28: Knats @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.50. (inc bf.). Album launch gig. Support act TBC.
Fri 28: Black is the Color of My Voice @ The Gala, Durham. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by the life of Nina Simone, performed by Florence Odumosu.
Fri 28: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival: Musicians Unlimited @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. £10.00. (Weekend ticket £20.00., available on the door). Day 1/3. Musicians Unlimited in concert.
Fri 28: Redwell @ 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, June 10, 2021

Album review: Samara Joy - Samara Joy.

Samara Joy (vocals); Pasquale Grasso (guitar); Ari Roland (bass); Kenny Washington (drums).

This year has been absolutely outstanding on the vocal front. Sarah Moule; Veronica Swift; Wilma Baan, to mention but three, have set my pulses racing - now there's another!

Samara Joy aced the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competion and now, at the ripe old age of 21, releases her debut album - it's an absolute killer!

That most of the songs were written before her mother, maybe even her grandmother, was born is irrelevant. It may sound clichéd but she really does revitalise these gassers. A typical example being Everything Happens to me. The ballad, normally taken at a soporific tempo, is given a medium to up boot that does no harm at all.

In actual fact, of the twelve tracks, only five were familiar to me the other seven were either new or only vaguely remembered plus, the fact that some of them were originally recorded by Nat 'King' Cole only serves to emphasise the quality of these versions.

In case you think I'm going over the top, I haven't even started!

Behind every great singer there's a great accompanist or, in this case, three of the best.

Grasso is described in the blurb as 'a budding star'. Delete 'budding' this guy has well and truly blossomed - if he hasn't then the guitar league tables are due to be rewritten. On bass, Roland proves to be as impressive playing arco as he is on pizz. Kenny Washington? No need to answer that question other than with 'tops'.

It's easy to see why Samara won the Sarah Vaughan Competition - if Sassy herself had been competing it wouldn't have been a shoo-in for The Divine One!

OMG! There's a ringer - track 13 isn't listed on the album cover but it's the best version of this tune I've ever heard! Sorry, you'll have to buy the disc to find out what it is. Suffice to say, I think Duke would have approved.

Lance

YouTube.

Samara Joy plays Ronnie Scott's on July 6 and the album is officially released by Whirlwind Recordings (WR4776) on July 9.

Stardust; Everything Happens to me; If You Never Fall in Love with me; Let's Dream in the Moonlight; It Only Happens Once; Jim; The Trouble with me is You; If You'd Stay the Way I Dream About You; Lover Man; Only a Moment Ago; Moonglow; But Beautiful.

2 comments :

SEH said...

Lance, you write so passionately! I can’t wait to listen to this album and I’m sure that my ears will agree with yours.
All the best from down South,
Sarah (Sarah Ellen Hughes)

Lance said...

Sarah, it really is a great album and one I'm sure you will enjoy.
Lance.
ps: apologies for the delay in posting your comment the pc is in huffy mode at the moment!

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