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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

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

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Album review: Jeremy Monteiro & Alberto Marsico - Jazz-Blues Brothers

Jeremy Monteiro (piano); Alberto Marsico (B3); Shawn Letts (tenor sax); Eugene Pao (guitar); Shawn Kelley (drums + Miz Dee Longwood - vocals on 2 tks.)

Monteiro has been called Singapore's King of Swing - Marsico could equally have been called Italy's King Hammond and maybe he has. Together they're jazz royalty in any genre and the courtiers (sidemen) ain't bad either.

The unusual instrumentation works well, the chordal instruments don't step on each others' fingers, Letts blows walkin' the bar tenor and Kelley works out on Catastrophy.

Miz Dee belts out I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water, a 12 bar that just about every blues mama/papa north and south of the Mason-Dixon Line has bemoaned over the years. Whether any of them ever actually did drink muddy water or find overnight accommodation in a hollow log is debatable, although I'm sure many did get treated like a dirty dog in New York.

Her second number, Etta James' hit, I'd Rather Go Blind, always leaves me feeling uncomfortable - is it conceivable  that anyone would really want to go blind? Both of her tracks were at the Royal Albert Hall's Elgar Room as part of the 2015 EFG London Jazz Festival. Oh and, er, yeah she's sensational.

Pau is resident in Hong Kong - I wonder, has he ever been in Ned's? He'd bring the place down as indeed would this band - providing there was dancing space - you ain't gonna  sit and just tap your feet with all this groovin' going on!

Jazz-Blues Brothers is the perfect description. My only disappointment is that they didn't wear the hats on the cover photo! - Lance

Opening Act; Olympia; I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water; Mount Olive; Lou; Jack-Pot; Catastrophy; I'd Rather Go Blind; Wishy Washy.

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