Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18918 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 782 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 18.) 61.

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

September.

Sun 20: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 20: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.

Mon 21: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 21: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. Coltrane centenary.

Tue 22: ???

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A John Coltrane Centenary Concert (b. 23. 09. 1926). SOLD OUT!
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 24: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 24: Arun Ghosh @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £21.05. (£22.00. on the door). A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 24: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 25: Mark Williams Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Get the Blessing + Dilettante @ The Cluny (Cluny 2), Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00. + bf. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 25: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 26: Adam Fairhall & Johnny Hunter: Play Mary Lou Williams @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 26: John Pope Quintet + Urvashi @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.40. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

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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