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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Sunday, October 03, 2021

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music @ The Lit & Phil: Zoe Rahman - Oct. 3

Zoe Rahman (piano)


(© Ken Drew)
Another solo piano recital by yet another outstanding contemporary pianist that delighted the crowded room.

Inevitably comparisions were made with Robert Mitchell who kick-started the series on Friday and in that respect it was a score draw - a very high scoring one at that. Both pianists are very much classically influenced although Rahman tends to use jazzier voicings in her selection of chords.

I didn't catch all of the titles, not least because Zoe didn't announce all of them! She did promise to pass on the info to anyone who wished to know but, by that time they were queuing up for CDs as if they were jerry cans full of Esso unleaded.

The opener was a piece commissioned by Nikki Iles to use as a Grade 8 jazz piano exam piece. It was a very demanding composition that involved several forearm smashes across the keyboard prompting me to speculate as to how she scored that passage!

(© Ken Drew)
Forearm smashes are a part and parcel of the jazz organists armoury and I imagined Zoe playing a B3.

Other numbers included Red Squirrel, there was apiece that segued into Oscar's Hymn to Freedom, Conversation With Nellie, Trial and Error as well as the finale - The Calling - which incorporated a well-known samba (don't ask me!)

The applause was deafening and as long as the queue for the CDs - Lance

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