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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 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

17985(and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 306 of them this year alone and, so far, 62 this month (April 26).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Tue 29: ???

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: International Jazz Day @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £16.00.; £14.00. adv.. Feat. Guido Spannocchi, John Pope & Steve Hanley + Take it to the Bridge participants + Open Mic Night participants.

MAY 2025

Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Member’s Contribution.
Thu 01: Alabaster de Plume @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 01: Living in Shadows + OUTRI @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: The Shayo Experiment @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Shayo Oshodi & Liam Oliver.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Seaburn. 4:30-6:15pm. Free.
Fri 02: Nauta @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:00pm. £7.50. A ‘Nauta’s House’ gig featuring Nauta & guests Shayo Oshodi & David Gray.
Fri 02: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 02: Dom Pipkin @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Solo piano.
Fri 02: Abbie Finn Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00. + bf.

Sat 03: Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Summer Samba Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 03: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Postmodern Jukebox @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Sat 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:30pm. Free.

Sun 04: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 04: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 04: Spilt Milk @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:00-5:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 04: Rivkala @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 04: Ben Crosland Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 05: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

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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