Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Album review: Dave Miller Trio - The Mask-erade is Over.

Dave Miller (piano); Andrew Higgins (bass); Bill Belasco (drums).

Well, I hope the title of this album turns out to be accurate and life gets back to a degree of normality. However, although I've got my fingers crossed and sent a prayer to him down there, time alone will tell.

Should the unthinkable happen and we're once more sentenced to a life of lockdowns, quarantines, self-isolation and all the rest then, at least, this album will provide some comfort. In fact, even if everything was hunky dory listening to the Dave Miller Trio would make it even hunkier and dorier. 

The pianist from Long Island - dig his Long Island sound - swings in the grand tradition of Peterson, Jamal, Shearing and many of the grandmasters before and after on a choice selection of standards plus pieces by Parker, Evans, Powell, and Brubeck. Higgins and Belasco provide the perfect support with Higgins' bass solos adding that extra dimension and, proving along the way that bass solos don't need to be boring.

Last night I was listening to Tommy Flanagan's great album, In His Own Sweet Time and it crossed my mind that no piano album was going to get within a country mile of it this year and maybe any other year.

Dave Miller gets well within that country mile. How close and at which side is for the listener to decide. As for me, I'm sitting on the fence, I wouldn't want to be without either. Lance

Available on Summit Records (SMT-784) 

Anthropology: Be Careful it's My Heart; The Masquerade is Over; The Opener (Bill Evans); Someday I'll Find You; You Don't Know What Love Is; Yardbird Suite; Estate (Bruno Martino ); In Your Own Sweet Way; The Blue Room; Dusty (original); Why Did I Choose You?; Hallucination; Just Imagine.

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