Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Van Morrison: ''Basically, I'm coming from jazz. Not pop, not rock, not what's commercial. That's where I started, and that's still where I am. I feel the same as I did when I was listening to Louis Armstrong, Lead Belly, Jelly Roll Morton''. (The Northern Echo, 12 June 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

1803759 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 480 of them this year alone and, so far, 58 this month (June 18).

From This Moment On ...

JUNE 2025

Thu 19: Gareth John & the SOS Big Band @ The Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £25.00. CANCELLED!

Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: David Gray's Flextet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. £21.50. ‘Time After Time’.
Fri 20: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm.
Fri 20: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.

Sat 21: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 21: Red Kites Jazz @ Staithes Café, Dunston. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Sat 21: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: Phoenix 4 @ Wallington, Northumberland. 12 noon-1:00pm & 2:00-3:00pm. Tel: 01670 773606. National Trust admission prices apply. ‘Tunes in the Blooms’.
Sun 22: Lapwing Trio @ Wallington, Northumberland. 1:00-2:00pm. Tel: 01670 773606. National Trust admission prices apply. ‘Tunes in the Blooms’.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 4:00pm. £18.00. + £1.08 bf.
Sun 22: JazzMain @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 23: MSK Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00. at the door; £8.20. (inc £0.20 bf) online, in advance.
Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club (1:00pm). Free.

Tues 24: ???

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: The Magpies of Swing @ The Roxy, Leadgate, Co. Durham. 7:30pm. A Ginger Jitterbugs swing dance event, 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

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Bryan Pendleton's Shearing Sound @ the Railway, Stockport - April 26

(© Jeff Pritchard)
Bryan Pendleton (piano); Dave Luckhurst (vibes);  Simone MacGregor (vocals); Paul Hartley (guitar); Ed Harrison (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums).

This band took me back to those days when I first got interested in jazz when I was about fourteen years old and all you could buy were 78 rpm records.  There were certain musicians who were popular with the fans of popular music but also held the interest of jazz fans. I’m thinking of Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, Ramsey Lewis, Louis Armstrong and of course the subject of tonight’s show, George Shearing who became a big name on both sides of the pond with his unusual sound of pairing piano with vibraphone.

Bryan Pendleton, who many may know from his arrangements for local big bands, kept the tunes fairly short with the result that a total of nineteen tunes were played. We heard a selection of well known standards some Latin influenced numbers and on three of these tunes we listened to vocalist Simone whose singing style reminded me of June Christy or Sarah Vaughan.


All the musicians performed well and I would like to mention what a great job was done by the bass player Ed Harrison a major asset to this unit, and also Eryl Roberts who coped well with the demanding arrangements on a scaled down drum kit.   Paul Hartley did some tasty solos on guitar and took care of the announcements. At the end of the evening the final number was Shearing’s big hit Lullaby of Birdland.  An excellent concert.

The next jazz gig at the Railway is on Sunday May 1 with reedman Munch Manship. Mike Farmer

 

East of the Sun; Mambo Inn; Do I Love You?; Always True to You in my Fashion; Let's Call the Whole Thing Off; When Lights Are Low; Ghost of a Chance; All I Do is Dream Of You; If Dreams Come True; Mambo Balahu
; That Old Devil Moon; Our Love is Here to Stay; Isn’t it Romantic?; There’ll be Another Spring; Blue Prelude; Kinda Cute; Moonlight Sonata; I’ll Remember April; Lullaby Of Birdland.

1 comment :

Lance said...

Sounds as though it was a good session. I notice that a lot of the numbers were from the album Shearing recorded with Peggy Lee - "Beauty and the Beat" a classic recording.

Blog Archive