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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, April 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

17957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 278 of them this year alone and, so far, 34 this month (April 14).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 17: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Only Six Standards.
Thu 17: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 18: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.

Fri 18: Alexia Gardner @ Fika Gallery, Oldgate, Morpeth NE61 1LT. 7:00pm. Trio (Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy).RESCHEDULED FOR JUNE 13

Fri 18: Sarah Jane Morris & Tony Remy: The Sisterhood @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. CANCELLED! 7:30pm (doors). £25.00.

Sat 19: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-3:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 19: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 20: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 20: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 20: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 21: Newcastle Record Fair @ Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle. 10:00am. Going in search of the Buddy Bolden cylinder…
Mon 21: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

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

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Introducing THE W * Heidi Vogel * Bruno Heinen * Gene Calderazzo * Andrea Di Biase

(Press release)

Debut EP release on Ubuntu Music Live at Kings Place’ 22 April.

Touring April 15 - May 8. London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle, Glasgow, Cardiff. YouTube.

Featuring some of the UK’s hottest and most in-demand players, The W is a newly established  London-based contemporary jazz quartet of outstanding musicality creating music that is as exciting and inventive, as it is elegant and sophisticated.

As vocalist for the Cinematic Orchestra for over 15 years and the go-to vocalist for acts such as Thundercat, Soweto Kinch and Chick Corea, Heidi Vogel has long been a critics choice for her extraordinary voice and velvet tone. Her sublime wordless vocals bring a contemporary, stylish sound to The W. On drums is London-based New Yorker Gene Calderazzo, a leading figure on the international jazz scene whose vast portfolio include performances with Pharoah Sanders, Radiohead and Wayne Krantz to name a few.  On double bass is Italian Andrea Di Biase who has performed with many world-class cutting-edge musicians such as Stan Sultzman, Norma Winstone and Kenny Wheeler. The group is led by composer and improvising pianist, Bruno Heinen who, to date, has released eight albums under his own name and worked with the likes of Shabaka Hutchings, Julian Siegel, and Julian Arguelles. The Guardian once described his music as “eclectic, eccentric and unobtrusively erudite” which is a fair summation of the original compositions he brings to The W.   Like the four equal lines that make up the letter ‘W’, the four members of the group come together as one voice to create a perfectly balanced and compelling new sound.

Live at Kings Place is their debut EP released on 22 April on the Ubuntu label ahead of their full album release in 2023.  The band will also be touring the UK culminating in the London show on 8 May at Ninety One Living Room.

Live at Kings Place comprises three tracks taken from a concert recorded at the end of their 2021 tour, funded by Arts Council England. Snowed In With Cedar Walton tells the story of a solo gig Walton played at the Village Vanguard in the 90's, where Bruno was one of only a handful of audience members. Snake River is inspired by Bruno's childhood trip to the Teton Mountains in the American Midwest, and Her Song was written on International Women's Day 2020 for his wife and daughter.  All three compositions have a story to tell, each one based on a single concept, and written with melody at the forefront.

Bruno, Andrea and Gene have been working together for many years and the addition of Heidi Vogel brings another layer of depth and lyricism to the music. “I’ve been working with Heidi in her own groups for over 10 years”, says Bruno. “I’ve always wanted to include her in a project of my own, and from the first time she sang with us, it just felt right. Her soul and range are extraordinary, especially without words: I can write as if I were composing for trombone, trumpet, or operatic soprano.”

Original, intelligent and richly nuanced, Live at Kings Place is a stunning introduction to a band set to take the UK jazz scene by storm.

Live at Kings Place from The W is released digitally on Ubuntu Music on 22 April 2022 and available to Stream/Download from all usual platforms.

LIVE DATES 2022

April 15  Oliver's Jazz Bar, London - 9 Nevada St, London SE10 9JL

April 26 Spotted Dog, Birmingham - 104 Warwick St, Birmingham B12 0NH

April 27 Lescar, Sheffield, 303 Sharrow Vale Rd, Sharrow, Sheffield S11 8ZF

April 28 Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle, Regent Farm Road, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3HD

April 29 Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3JD

May 3 Flute and Tankard, Cardiff, 4 Windsor Place, Cardiff, Wales

May 8 91 Living Room, London Launch Party,  91 Brick Lane - E16QL

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