Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,057 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 921 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 29) 100.

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

October.

Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 31: Saltburn Big Band + Durham Alumni Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Sat 31: East Coast Swing Band @ Cramlington Village Club, Park View, Cramlington NE23 6QJ. 7:30pm. £10.00. (from venue).

November

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet w. special guest Donna Hewitt (tenor sax, clarinet)
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Sarah Heneghan Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 03: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. guest tba
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.
Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: An Evening of Erykah Badu @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 7:30pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Hejira - Celebrating Joni Mitchell @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Cut Capers @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors).
Thu 05: Northern Reaches @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Pete Tanton, Joe Steels, Laurence Blackadder, John Hirst.
Thu 05: Fergus McCreadie @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat seek your Newcastle recommendations ahead of tour.

(Press release)

Peter Whittingham Award winners Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat are setting sail this Autumn on their first national tour, performing music from their debut album Worry Not which was released to great acclaim in July of this year.

Supported by funding from Arts Councils England, the tour will see the cinematic jazz quintet return to cities including Newcastle and Wakefield, and branch out to London, Birmingham, Sheffield and more, to perform their blend of melodic, accessible jazz influenced by film scores, hard bop and contemporary European jazz.

Ahead of their performance at The Globe on the 28th November, Gravy Boat are asking local folk, audience members and other artists to share their favourite places in Newcastle. From the comfiest coffee shops and the best record stores to cultural landmarks and favourite food spots, the group are looking for recommendations of where they should visit whilst on tour, ideally accompanied by a story about what makes it special to you.

These places and stories will be woven amongst music from the band and live footage to create a digital tour guide to Newcastle, which will be shared in the New Year. To be a part of this project, you can either share your place on social media with the tag #mymusiccity or email voice notes, pictures or text to emma@johnsonmusic.co.uk This callout for places was launched on Instagram in a ‘Gravy Boat Guests’ episode with Newcastle musician Faye MacCalman (Archipelago, John Pope Quintet) and will run up until the group visit Newcastle to perform at the end of November.

Tickets here

Latest single video here

Emma Johnson: 07976 528099 

emma@johnsonmusic.co.uk/ www.johnsonmusic.co.uk/epk

Lineup: Emma Johnson – Tenor Saxophone/ Fergus Vickers – Electric Guitar/ Richard Jones – Piano /Angus Milne – Double Bass/ Steve Hanley – Drums

Recent press quote: "Emma Johnson and her Gravy Boat are one of the most refreshingly imaginative and perfectly configured acts in contemporary Jazz. Surely they will be occupying bigger platforms very soon". Neil March

2 comments :

Lance said...

Well Emma, I don't do coffee shops but I do know music shops. J.G. Windows Ltd. in the Central Arcade near Monument Metro has been around since 1908. Instruments, accessories, sheet music, CDs etc. I worked there for x years and just about anyone who was any one (or their roadies) looked in. Many local musicians have, over the years, worked there. Put it on your bucket list. See you at The Globe.

Emma Johnson said...

Hi Lance,
Thanks so much. Will be returning on a week day in the New Year to check this place out - sounds brilliant!
Really appreciate you sharing our call out and tuning into the gig on Sunday. Was lovely to play.
Hopefully catch you soon! Emma

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