Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18621 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 485 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 14) 37

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

June

Tue 23: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 23: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 24: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 25: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 25: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Forgotten Ones & Any Quintets.
Thu 25: Edgar Ho Trio @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free. Brilliant alto sax, piano & double bass trio. Unmissable!
Thu 25: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 26: Finn-Keeble Group @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9:00.
Fri 26: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 26: Clark Tracey @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. £26.00. Day 1/2.

Sat 27: OUTRI @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £13.01. 1:00-1:45pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Richardson & Westgarth Sport & Social Club, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal. Note change of venue.
Sat 27: House of the Black Gardenia + Magpies of Swing @ The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sat 27: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 2:15-3:15pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 3:45-4:45pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Rory Ingham @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 5:30-6:30pm. £19.51. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Ingham w. Dean Stockdale, Ian Paterson, Dave McKeague.
Sat 27: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 27: Laura Jurd @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £26.00. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Sat 27: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary’s Church, Wooler. 3:00pm. £18.00., £6.00. A Wooler Arts Summer Concerts event. Tim Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: An Evening of Jazz @ St James’ Church, Copper Chare, Morpeth. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 from 01670 788869 or 01670 519923. Mid Northumberland Chorus (MD Robin Forbes, Emma Straughan, piano) w. jazz trio featuring Edgar Ho, Oscar Ho & Dave McKeague & special guest Emily Masser. Performance inc. Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass + George Shearing’s Songs & Sonnets.
Sun 28: Led Bib @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.00., £12.00. JNE.

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Wednesday, February 09, 2022

While the Big Cat's away Black Swan jam session - Feb. 8

Mark Williams (guitar); Andy Champion (double bass); Rob Walker (drums) + Kit Giroux (vocals); David Gray (trombone); Murray Wankling (piano); Jacob Egglestone (guitar); Keith Tulip (bass guitar); Mark Taylor (drums); Will Pease (drums); Freddie Krone (drums)

The Big Cat, Mr PG, jam session supremo Paul Grainger was away gigging, so what could possibly go wrong? Well, nothing really except for the extra traffic in Newcastle city centre due to Newcastle United hosting Everton (52,000 spectators) and an ageing popstar entertaining 10,000 fans at the Arena resulting in parking spaces being at a premium. Bassist Andy Champion dropped off his instrument then set off looking for a parking space. Several laps of the city centre later, our man eventually nabbed the sole remaining spot seemingly for miles around. 

Guitarist Mark Williams acting as MC, Champion and drummer Rob Walker offering support, the house trio warmed up with three dead cert numbers - April in Paris, You Stepped Out of a Dream and Beautiful Love. Several of the student sitters-in were hearing the trio for the first time, it's fair to say they were gob-smacked at the level of musicianship! If nothing else, Newcastle University student Kit Giroux is keen as mustard and during the evening sang a few numbers: Black Coffee, I Got Rhythm, Água de Beber (in Portuguese) and Ain't Misbehavin'. 

An oddity of some of the recent Black Swan jam sessions has been the lack of horn players. One man who can be relied upon is trombonist David Gray. 'Showtime', as he's affectionately known, is always great value, a great player is DG (Beatrice, On the Sunny Side of the Street and more). Keith Tulip showed up and put up on Red Clay, pianist Murray Wankling dropped by, a real asset is Murray, and as the evening unfolded the university boys (no girls this week) stepped up. Guitarist Jacob Egglestone spelled MC Williams and remained on the stand for the remainder of the evening, a most impressive session from JE. Three drummers, two from Newcastle (Mark Taylor and Will Pease), one from Durham (Freddie Krone) were on and off the stand all evening. Krone made the trip from Durham to check out the Black Swan session. He said he'd be back with some of his fellow Durham University Jazz Society pals. We look forward to hearing them.          

The next Black Swan session is set for Tuesday 22. It promises to be something special with a first ever joint promotion with NUJO (Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra) and EUJO (Edinburgh University Jazz Orchestra). The main performance space in the Black Swan basement will be pressed into action for the occasion. If some of the Durham boys and girls turn up it has the makings of an 'I was there occasion'! Russell
 
Set list: April in Paris; You Stepped Out of a Dream; Beautiful Love; Black Coffee; I Got Rhythm; Interplay; All the Things You Are; Água de Beber; Beatrice; On the Sunny Side of the Street; Night in Tunisia; Red Clay; Summertime; Ain't Misbehavin'; Blue Monk.  
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