Bebop Spoken There

Donovan Haffner ('Best Newcomer' 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards): ''I got into jazz the first time I picked up a saxophone!" - Jazzwise Dec 25/Jan 26

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

18146 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 24 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 7), 24

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Fri 09: The House Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 09: Nauta @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Trio: Jacob Egglestone, Jamie Watkins, Bailey Rudd.
Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Warren James & the Lonesome Travellers @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Fri 09: The Blue Kings @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv.). All-star band.

Sat 10: Mark Toomey Quintet @ St Peter’s Church, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:30pm. £12.00. (inc. pie & peas). Tickets from: 07749 255038.

Sun 11: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Milne Glendinning Band @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 13: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 15: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. Quartet + guest Paul Donnelly (guitar).

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

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Paul Hartley Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - Feb. 22

Gair Carson (reeds); Paul Hartley (guitar); Ken Marley (bass); Andy Bold (drums).

The gig started with the well-known On Green Dolphin Street, a great number to use as a warm up and Gair chose to play this on tenor sax. Carson continued to use his tenor on the second tune Remember, an Irving Berlin number which most modern jazz fans will recall was one of the tunes featured on that superb album Soul Station by the late great Hank Mobley.  Gail played  another tune from Soul Station to end the first set, This I Dig Of You. Carson  is an accomplished flute player and brought along two flutes, one of which was  an alto flute which he used to good effect on the ballad Darn That Dream.


As well as tenor sax and flutes we also heard him play alto sax and I liked his treatment of Del Sasser a tune  from the pen of Sam Jones which the Adderley brothers played frequently. I have seen Carson on previous occasions playing in big bands and also in one of the eight-piece outfits that specialise in music from the West Coast era.


Ken Marley and Andy Bold got into some nice bass and drum fours on some of the up-tempo numbers and Paul Hartley, as always, played some interesting solos on guitar. An excellent evening of modern jazz and it was nice to hear a sax player who was not too influenced by Coltrane like some of the younger musicians.


The next jazz night at the Railway will be Feb. 27 with the Dean Stockdale Trio - Mike Farmer.


On Green Dolphin Street; Remember; Jeanine; Darn That Dream; This I Dig Of You; Road Song; Ladybird; Baubles, Bangles, and Beads; I Remember Clifford; Samba de Orpheus; Del Sasser.

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