Bebop Spoken There

Emma Rawicz: "In a couple of years I've gone from being a normal university student to suddenly being on international stages." DownBeat January 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

18246 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 100 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 31), 100

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ 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: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject:Times of the Day & Trios.
Thu 05: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Special guest Emma Wilson.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Durham Alumni Big Band & Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn Theatre. 7:30pm. £12.00. Two big bands on stage together!
Fri 06: Nauta + Littlewood Trio @ Little Buildings, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Double bill + jam session.
Fri 06: FILM: Made in America @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Ornette Coleman.
Fri 06: Deep Six Blues @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm.

Sat 07: The Big Easy @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Swing Tyne @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Donations. Swing dance taster class (12:30pm) + Hot Club de Heaton (live performance). Non dancers welcome.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 09: Mark Williams Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

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

Monday, October 25, 2021

Kurt Elling reunites with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra for Apparition Bridge

(© Derek Clark Photography)
(Press release)

Concerts in Edinburgh, Perth, Glasgow and Aberdeen

One of the world’s leading jazz singers, Kurt Elling joins internationally acclaimed saxophonist Tommy Smith and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (SNJO) for a four-date tour of Scotland from Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 November.

Chicago-born Elling, who has won two Grammy awards and been nominated a further fifteen times, has been described by the New York Times as “the stand-out male singer of our time.” He has also topped the prestigious Downbeat magazine critics and readers polls for fourteen consecutive years.


Tommy Smith, the SNJO’s founder and artistic director, says, “Few singers in the world bring to bear the unique combination of artistic depth, intellectual breadth and soulful delivery that our friend Kurt Elling does.”

(© Cory Dewald)
Over four previous tours and appearances together at London Jazz Festival and leading the European festival, Jazz sous les Pommiers, in France, Elling and the SNJO have developed a strong partnership that has brought audiences to their feet with a repertoire ranging from swinging Frank Sinatra classics to interpretations of more contemporary material and items from the praise song canon.   

For this all-new concert series -- exclusive to Scotland -- the team will perform freshly-conceived arrangements and recently composed lyrics to the works of Europe's most exciting contemporary composers; including Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, Danish bassist Anne Mette Iversen, France-based Ivorian drummer Anna Pacéo, and the late Swedish pianist and leader of the popular, trailblazing EST group, Esbjörn Svennson.

“This project promises to reconnect us all through music as we span the ethereal chasms between the ancient and the future, between sorrow and joy, and between time and timelessness,” says Elling. “The combination of talents at work, including the searching eloquence of saxophone master Tommy Smith and the superb SNJO provides the makings of a powerful and unique musical regrouping.”

The tour opens at the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh on Thursday November 18th and continues at Perth Concert Hall (Friday 19th), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (Saturday 20th) and Aberdeen Music Hall (Sunday 21st).

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