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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 11: Steve Summers Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Free. Inc. Olly Styles (tenor sax).
Thu 13: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: Artist Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Hannabiell & Midnight Blue.
Thu 13: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 12:30-1:30pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 16: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: BBC Introducing NE X MOBO Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Jambone, Knats, Rivkala, SwanNek.
Sun 16: The Shayo Experience @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 16: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 16: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

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

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Newcastle Big Band Reunion @ The Collingwood, Jesmond - Oct. 22

Way back when most of us had too much hair a big band was formed at Newcastle University - a tradition that has carried on to this very day. Founder members of that original band included Andy Hudson and Laurie Rangecroft. Laurie provided a unique link between the Newcastle Big Band and, until recently, the current keeper of the flame - the Strictly Smokin' Big Band.

Just about everyone, myself included, who had a degree of competency passed through the Newcastle Big Band. The Sunday lunchtime sessions that were held in what was then The University Theatre, have become a part of Newcastle's jazz folklore.

At the helm was Andy Hudson whose memories and subsequent escapades have been well documented within these pages. Suffice to say that he opened doors to a lot of people who became better players and non-musicians who, overnight, became jazz fans.

Tonight, those of us who survived having to play Beefeaters at every gig met up at a pub in Jesmond and it was one of those occasions where the tape should have been rolling to capture all the stories and the memories that were recounted.

San Sebastian, Pau, Seaham Harbour - this band was truly international! I mention Seaham Harbour as, for some reason or other Jacky Denton didn't make that particular gig in a local community centre so we played without a drummer. Imagine, a band playing Basie, Herman, Quincy Jones without a drummer!

The late Trevor Johnson was on the gig and I bumped into him a couple of weeks later and remarked that I hadn't seen him since Seaham Harbour. Trevor's dry sense of humour came through: "Seaham Harbour? It was more like Pearl Harbour without the bombs!"

Sadly, like Trevor, so many NBB alumni have now left us: Charlie Carmichael; Nigel Stanger; John Pearce; Alf Parker; Don Eddy; Mike Gilby; Ronnie Pearson; Bill Shaw; Marshall Walker; Jacky Denton; Bob King; Ronnie McLean; Graham Shepherd; Bobby Carr etc. etc.

Still it was good to meet up again - for many of us it was the moment of our musical lives. If I had any grandkids I'd be telling them that Sting was in the band but, who knows? Maybe he's telling his grandkids that BSH's Lance was in the band - we can dream...
Lance
In the photo, taken by the former supremo of Impulse Studios Dave Wood, are (l-r) Brian Chester (trombone); Laurie Rangecroft (tenor sax); Germaine Stanger (vocals); Andy Hudson (piano etc.); Lance Liddle (tenor sax); John Hedley (guitar). Down front is Cormack Loane (alto sax) - probably still the youngest living member! 

2 comments :

Steve Andrews said...

That band must have been good - I used to drag myself out of bed on a Sunday morning to drive up to the University Theatre to see the show. Actually the band could be distinctly ropey in places (a lot of not-quite-sight-reading going on), but that didn't matter a damn, because it was the embodiment of "joie de vive": happy, hilarious, loud, exciting, and presided over by the ebullient Andy Hudson, who occasionally legged it from in front of the band to play a piano solo on "The Kid From Redbank". Some great musicians, many of whom went on to great or even greater things, but perhaps Andy Hudson should be singled out for the work he went on to do promoting Jazz - not just the big names he's better-known for, but the steady work he gave to us local musicians during his time running the Newcastle Jazz Festival, and other gigs. Happy days!

S.Carmichael said...

Hi I'm Stephen Carmichael, Charlie Carmichael's son. I'm trying to get in touch with my father's band colleagues. I have his instruments and obviously the Newcastle Big Band album. Would love for some of his band colleagues to get in touch and help me find out more of his and their lives.

Kind regards Stephen

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