Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (DownBeat May, 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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

May

Fri 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Sunday, October 03, 2021

David Gray & Mark Williams @ Prohibition Bar - Oct. 2

David Gray (trombone); Mark Williams (guitar)

The name is Gray, David Gray...the name is Williams, Mark Williams. In the wake of the latest 007 box office blockbuster, David Gray and Mark Williams cashed in with a couple of Bond, James Bond numbers. On a rainy evening on Pink Lane, Prohibition Bar was doing steady business. A trombone-guitar duo isn't the obvious combination for a Saturday night out, but when the calibre of musician on stage is dynamic trombonist David Gray and guitar maestro Mark Williams, you're onto a winner.

Prohibition Bar's stage isn't of Pinewood Studios dimensions, it's more like two telephone boxes side by side. Gray standing, Williams seated, our duo dialled up the first number, Sonny Rollins' Doxy. William's Finally owed something to P Metheny, William's Arabic intro to Jobim's Wave momentarily wrong footed the audience and We Have All the Time in the World came as a welcome surprise. If only Gray, David Gray had chosen to sing, perhaps next time. 

An interval chat with our two Bonds: in a matter of hours Gray, David Gray, would be making his way to Ayr on an assignment with SouLutions, Williams, Mark Williams, was planning to spy upon, sorry, check out the NFOJIM jam session - rendezvous fifteen hundred hours Sunday, Black Swan.

Second set, Gray declared the opener was ambitious for a 'bone-guitar combo - Chick Corea's 500 Miles High. What do you know? Mission accomplished! Gray's Silver Orcas tipped the hat at Silver, Horace Silver. Diamonds Are Forever as a duo instrumental (Ms Bassey wasn't available) followed by another ambitious chart - Anthropology. Happy to report our Bonds survived intact! To conclude a fun evening, Gray, David Gray upped the ante, suggesting the set closer was 'super ambitious'. Chick Corea's Spain the challenge, Gray and Williams soared five hundred miles high, safely returning to HQ to receive plaudits from Her Maj and punters alike.   006
        
Set list: Doxy; All the Things You Are; Beatrice; Finally (comp. M Williams); Wave; We Have All the Time in the World (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service); 500 Miles High; Silver Orcas (comp. D Gray); Diamonds Are Forever (from Diamonds Are Forever); Anthropology; Untitled (comp. M Williams); Spain.    
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