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

18402 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 266 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 31 ), 76

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

April

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.

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). Free. Chicago blues.

Sat 04: Jake Leg Jug Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Anthropology. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Wild Women of Wylam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £10.00.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free Quintet + guest Neil Brodie (trumpet).
Sun 05: Mark Williams & Tom Remon @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Jazzmain @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 07: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums).

Wed 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 08: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 08: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 08: Zoë Gilby & Johnny Hunter @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Monday, July 26, 2021

Munch Manship Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - July 25

Munch Manship (tenor sax); Andrzej Baranek (keys); Grant Russell (bass); Dave Tyas (drums).*

I watched a news item on Sunday concerning an unexploded World War 2 bomb found in a building site in Goole, Yorkshire. The Army came in and blew it up, which was a quite spectacular event.

Another explosive event occurred at the Railway on Sunday evening when saxman Munch Manship together with a first-rate backing trio arrived ready to cook up a storm, and they did!

On keyboard was the superb Andrzej Baranek on brilliant form as always.  Grant Russell was on bass and was playing one of those large triangular instruments. In the drum chair was Dave Tyas who big band fans may recall led the Shades Jazz Orchestra which used to be known as the Shades of Kenton Orchestra.

By the time the music started the room was almost full, which was good to see. Although Munch is an excellent flautist, he chose to play tenor sax throughout.     

Munch is a man who started getting interested in the saxophone quite early in life, taking lessons from the late great Ron Aspery. He then played as a professional musician in various bands around Manchester and, in his twenties, toured extensively with the Eric Delaney Band throughout the UK and Europe. He spent some time in London, then returned to Manchester where he did theatre work, played in radio bands and in the eighties toured around UK and Europe backing the likes of The Four Tops, Shirley Bassey, Roy Orbison etc.

Chatting with Munch at the end of the gig I got to check out his tenor, a beautiful Selmer Mk 6. He told me he had been playing it for about ten years and it originally belonged to Alan Fawkes, another great sax master.

I look forward to hearing him again in the near future.

Tomorrow (July 27) at the Railway another local jazz hero Freddy Garner will be there with his quartet. Mike Farmer

* Photo is from a 2014 gig at the Railway with the late Vinnie Parker on keyboards.

Have You Met Miss Jones; Only Trust Your Heart;  St Thomas;  In a Sentimental Mood; Good Bait; Airegin; Jordu;  Autumn Leaves; Along Came Betty;The Jamfs Are Coming; Joy Spring.

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