Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 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

18818 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 682 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 20) 51.

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

August

Sun 23: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Royal Quays Marina, North Shields. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 23: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free..
Sun 23: Blue Note Quintet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. £12.00., £10.00..
Sun 23: Timmy Allan Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 24: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ 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: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 27: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 27: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Stranton, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 28: Graham Hardy Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 29: Brian Jackson @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:30pm (doors). £32.00.

Friday, July 02, 2021

Sarah Moule: Stormy Emotions - aĺbum launch @ Pizza Express - June 30

(Photo by Lance)
Sarah Moule (vocals); Simon   Wallace (piano); Neville Malcolm (bass); Paul Robinson (drums) + Nigel Price (guitar).

This past year or so has, if nothing else, seen the release of  a lot of  fine vocal albums and Sarah Moule's Stormy Emotions is certainly high on that list.

Regular site visitors, having read my rave reviews, won't be surprised to learn that when the opportunity arose to check out the launch of that very same album at Pizza Express I donned my mask, sanitised everything that needed sanitising and hopped a south bound freighter - Dean Street here I come.

I wasn't disappointed!

Hearing Fran Landesman's lyrics live was like hearing the CD played over a top of the range sound system plus you had extended solos from the band.

Price was on fire - when is he not? Wallace was too and so he should be seeing as he wrote the tunes!

However, the real star was the late wordsmith. Fran's lyrics should be in every songbird's repertoire. They would be like a breath of fresh air after the Summertimes, the Funny  Valentines and the Crying Rivers

Nevertheless, having said that, there can't be many, if any, who can handle them quite the way that Sarah Moule does. Interestingly, as Sarah told us snippets of Fran's life, the lyrics took on an even greater significance.

Not that the gig was restricted to songs from the album. The second set included some Ellington - an excellent Prelude to a Kiss - and a few other standards including an I Only Have Eyes For You that had a scat/vocalese chorus that may have been based on some bop horn solo - come in Sarah!

That Old Black Magic, a bluesy Pete Do Your Stuff, I Ain't Got Nothin' but The Blues and a blistering Perdido to finish.

I left on a high. In fact the last time I left a vocal gig in London feeling so euphoric was after hearing Mel Tormé and George Shearing at the RFH way back when.

 This was that sort of night... Lance

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