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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17733 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 53 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Jan. 20).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Tue 21: ???

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 22: Pasadena Roof Orchestra @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.

Thu 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free. Fortnightly.
Thu 23: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Obituaries 2024.
Thu 23: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:30-6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Thu 23: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 24: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Lindisfarne Social Club, Wallsend. 9:00pm. Admission: TBC. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.

Sat 25: Boys of Brass @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 25: New '58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson's Wharf, Hartlepool. 6:30pm (doors). Free. A Burns' Night event. Jazz, swing, funk, soul, blues etc.
Sat 25: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 25: Jack & Jay’s Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Graham Hardy Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 26: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:30pm. Free.
Sun 26: Gratkowski, Tramontana, Beresford, Affifi @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

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

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Charlie Watts (June 2, 1941 - August 24, 2021)

Charlie Watts is gone. Unlike Ringo Starr of Beatles fame, the Rolling Stones' drummer was also involved in the jazz scene via some iconic jazz recordings at least one of which, The Charlie Watts Orchestra - Live Fulham Town Hall, can stand proudly alongside any British big band of any era. An all-star line up that included Pete King, Evan Parker, Jimmy Deuchar - in fact just about anyone who was anyone on the UK jazz scene in 1986 - it swings better than a lot of American name bands did at the time. Jack Bruce played cello and, although Charlie didn't have Adolph Hitler on vibes, he did have Jim Lawless and Bill le Sage depping for the late Führer.   

The world will remember Charlie Watts as the driving force behind The Stones, the one who shunned the headlines, the one who didn't play the field ... The jazz world will remember him for all of those things as well as as a drummer who loved playing jazz and was pretty damn good at it.

Listening again to that Fulham Town Hall concert it occured to me that this is an album that will certainly be high up on the list when I get around to naming my ten favourite big band albums.

Charlie Watts passed away earlier today (August 24).

He was 80.

Sadly missed.

Rest In Peace

Lance

Obituary

3 comments :

Dave said...

The Fulham album is marvellous, one of my all time favourites.
Dave

Steve T said...

Struck me as a decent chap and I'm not sure I'd say the same about any of his bandmates. He was the first drummer in a pop group to claim he was a jazz drummer, though far less nimble than subsequent self-proclaimed jazz drummers who played rock: Ginger Baker, Bill Bruford and Phil Collins.
All the big popstars: Beatles, Stones, Van, Wod, Bowie etc etc etc were keen to point out their debts to black music, but it never fully caught on and still hasn't. America was forced to acknowledge its Black Music, but it was the white popstars who became multi millionaires and are nowadays revered as originators. On Radio 2 today somebody was talking about Watts' debt, not just to jazz, but to Stax and Motown, but people will still go on listening to white British popstars ahead of Stax and Motown, and jazz by white British popstars ahead of Black American Originals .

Roly said...

Sad news. There has been a lot of comment and tributes in the media, BBC etc. and talking about his love of jazz, about his abilities stemming from a jazz sensibility and subtlety, his ability to swing and to always do just the right thing appropriate to the song. All really nice to hear.

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