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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Coleman: ''If you don't keep learning, your mind slows down. Use it or lose it''. (DownBeat, January 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

17733 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 53 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Jan. 20).

From This Moment On ...

January 2025

Tue 21: ???

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 22: Pasadena Roof Orchestra @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm.

Thu 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, Holystone. 1:00pm. Free. Fortnightly.
Thu 23: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Obituaries 2024.
Thu 23: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:30-6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Thu 23: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 24: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Lindisfarne Social Club, Wallsend. 9:00pm. Admission: TBC. Jazz, blues , jump jive, rock ‘n’ roll.

Sat 25: Boys of Brass @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 25: New '58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson's Wharf, Hartlepool. 6:30pm (doors). Free. A Burns' Night event. Jazz, swing, funk, soul, blues etc.
Sat 25: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 25: Jack & Jay’s Songbook @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Graham Hardy Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 26: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:30pm. Free.
Sun 26: Gratkowski, Tramontana, Beresford, Affifi @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.
Sun 26: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 28: ???

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Thu 30: Matters Unknown (aka Jonathan Enser, Nubiyan Twist) + support TBA @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £12.22 (gig & food); £9:04 (gig only).
Thu 30: Soznak @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Struggle Buggy @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Rhythm & blues.

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

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Album preview: Raynald Colom - A Million Dreams.

(Press release)

Trumpeter Raynald Colom immediately captivates with the hauntingly beautiful dream-like opening notes of his new live recording, A Million Dreams. Colom demands the listener’s attention throughout the cohesive eight-track outing, alongside pianist Tony Tixier, Joe Sanderson double bass and Francesco Ciniglioon drums. French-born and Barcelona-based, Colom is a seasoned musician inspired by many genres and artforms, but with firm roots in flamenco.

Scriabin’s ‘Color Symbolism’ and a firm believer in the free-flowing equal journey of music. A Million Dreams documents a truly magical live experience,transporting listeners to the Italian town of Pontinia, where the album was recorded. Colom adopts a fluid approach to his craft, preferring to be guided by the music and environment around him. This working quartet of many influences is free of hierarchy and the tacit interplay between the four is crucial to Colom. The record opens with Colom’s ‘Wholeness’. The immersive track is based on Scriabin’s color concept and is inspired by sunrise in Barcelona, specifically the colour between blue and orange: “it’s really an ode to my city Barcelona, where I grew up musically.” The momentum fluctuates organically as depictions of the city awakening are realised through metropolitan soundscapes.

‘When Logan meets Miro’ is a fun portrayal of an imaginary conversation between Colom’s friend and fellow musician, Logan Richardson and Catalan artist Joan Miró. Up next is the achingly beautiful ballad, ‘The Peacocks’. “This particular song is really dear to me,” explains Colom, “the first time I heard it was on the movie Round Midnight and it always struck me as one of those melodies which gives you hope but at the same time a sense of sadness.” Realised as a duet between Colom and Tixier, there’s a palpable and exquisite tranquillity to the track: “what I like about playing with Tony in duo is the feeling of freedom.”

“Flamenco is part of my musical DNA,” states Colom and he and Ciniglio demonstrate this with their enthralling dynamic driving rhythms on Paco deLucia’s ‘Zyriab/el Alcazar de Sevilla’, giving Colom an opportunity to show off his exceptional flamenco chops. Wayne Shorter’s ‘Powder Keg’ receives Colom’s cool treatment, together with ‘Sketches Set Seven’, by Chicagoan composer Eduard Bland. ‘Stablemates’ demonstrates Colom’s deep respect for tradition: “I enjoy that it’s a fresh take on something which is played a lot, which is the beauty of the music - taking old songs and making them sound new and personal.” Bringing the album to a close is one of Colom’s most-loved standards, ‘September in the Rain’, which serves as a tender tribute to Roy Hargrove.The album title comes from an interview with Duke Ellington in which he’s asked, ‘what goes through your head when you play?’ and Ellington answers: “a million dreams.” Colom says, “I love that concept. Basically, that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re not thinking about notes, we’re thinking about dreams.”

Release date tomorrow (May 20) on Whirlwind Recordings.

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