Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18878 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 742 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 4.) 21.

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

September.

Tue 08: Seijiro Murayama & Jean-Luc Guionnet @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Warwick St., Newcastle, NE2 1BB. 7.00pm. £10.00 (advance); £12.00 (on door); £.15.00 (solidarity).
Tue 08: SH#RP Collective @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 08: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: 58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club. 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: NONUNONU @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE. Excellent trio.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Jacenaite All Crew @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 10: Emma Rawicz INKYRA @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.30. Sage Two. Line-up: Emma Rawicz (sax); Scottie Thompson (piano, keyboards, synth); David Preston (guitar); Kevin Glasgow (bass guitar); Jack Thomas (drums).

Fri 11: Esther Bennett @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £10.00. Esther Bennett (vocals); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass).
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Ray Stubbs’ R&B All Stars @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £14.09 (inc. bf).

Sat 12: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 12: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £16.26 (inc. bf).

Sun 13: 58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00-3:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: King Bees @ Shape Patisserie, Darlington. 3:00pm. Free. Duo (Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor). A Rhythm & Blues Fringe event. Blues excellence.
Sun 13: Alligator Gumbo @ The Cluny. 5:00pm. £17.15.; £11.43; £5.72.
Sun 13: Eternal Triangle + Andy Champion @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE.

Mon 14: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Saturday, October 02, 2021

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music: Shiver and Run Logan Run @ Gosforth Civic Centre - Sept. 30

Shiver: Chris Sharkey (guitar); Andy Champion (electric bass); Luke Reddin-Williams (drums)

(© Ken Drew)
This appearance  by Shiver appear was in support of the launch of their new album Night School which is being released through the festival’s sister label New Jazz and Improvised Music Recordings. The title comes from the burning down of Sharkey’s abandoned old school – 'I can’t remember exactly when my old school burnt down but I can tell you I was there.' The piece was developed several years ago and the recording was actually made in Leeds in 2015 after consuming fish sandwiches the size of dolphins from their local Leeds chippy (surely they should have been the size of Sharkies).

(© Ken Drew)
The evening's performance consisted  of an unbroken symphonic rendition of that recording.  Opening with a long, gentle, melodic guitar solo from Sharkey before Champion’s throbbing electric bass entered the fray. With the drums and electronic bow to the fore an industrial techno theme developed and proceedings really began to hot up as the band blazed away. A gentle bass lead with drums and guitar in support seemed to herald the end of the fire but the flames seemed to have returned as the band cranked it up once more with a Hendrix like section. Finally the embers petered out with a gentle and graceful finale.    


A fascinating immersive creation which  frequently managed  to wrong foot the audience with its unpredictable changes of direction providing a  thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining experience.

 

Run Logan Run:

Andrew Neil Hayes (sax/electronics) Matt Brown (drums);  Dan Messore (bass guitar)

(© Ken Drew)
Run Logan Run as their name suggest hit the ground with a bang from the very first blast. Powerhouse drumming and tenor playing supplemented by bass guitar and the clever use of electronic loops got everyone energized from the off. 

The band hail from Bristol, home of the great nineties’ band Portishead, and although off a different genre I was still able to detect a hint of influence. A mixture of tracks from their newly launched album - For a Brief Moment I Could Smell The Flowers - were interspersed with older material. The outcome was a punchy creative all enveloping jazz and grungy high energy  soundscape. Yet amongst this raw energetic maelstrom emerged another side with a delightful straight ahead ballad in the middle of the set.
(© Ken Drew)
 

The final two pieces of the evening couldn’t have been more appropriately chosen Give Me Back My Slippers and then what everyone  needed after such a high energy performance Cold Showers. Steve H

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