Bebop Spoken There

Ethan Hawke (starring as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon): ''Larry [Lorenz] Hart would be so happy that his music and his words and his poetry are still alive.'' - The Northern Echo 27 November 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

18000 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 964 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 24).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Sat 06: Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 06: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Minor Swing. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 06: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 06: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76 (inc. bf).
Sat 06: Kaberry Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. (inc. hot buffet). ‘Christmas 1945’. Kaberry Big Band, formerly Vermont Big Band.
Sat 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ Platform 1, Bedlington. 7:30pm. £6.00. Rhythm & blues.
Sat 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. Xmas Party with buffet.
Sat 06: The Jive Aces @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £22.00., £20.00.
Sat 06: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 07: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. special guest Donna Hewitt (sax, clarinet).
Sun 07: Finn-Keeble Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 07: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio + Ruth Lambert.
Sun 07: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Jason Isaacs Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 5:15pm (4:00pm doors). £21.50 (inc. bf).
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3 Stories, High St. West, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Support set from Play More Jazz! course participants. Note earlier start.

Mon 08: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 09: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm

Wed 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 10: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Mike Lindup Jazz Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £26.50 (inc. bf). Lindup, Yolanda Charles (bass), John Sam (drums).
Wed 10: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £12.00.

Thu 11: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: West Coast (cool ) / Wordsearch (cool) Cool Jazz or ‘Cold’, ‘Cool’, ‘Hot’, ‘Warm’ in the title or lyrics.
Thu 11: George Robinson @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £5.42 (inc. bf). Vienna’s Voice charity evening featuring ’15 year old singing sensation the ‘Redcar Crooner’ George Robinson’. Over 35s only.
Thu 11: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. back tapes.
Thu 11: Ransom Van @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 11: Down for the Count Swing Orchestra @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:30pm. £37.70 (inc. bf). ‘Swing into Xmas’.

Fri 12: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 12: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 12: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £15.00. ‘Xmas Soiree’.
Fri 12: A Jazzy Xmas @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £15.00. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, soprano sax); Matthew Forster (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 12: Tony Hadley: Xmas Big Band Tour 2025 @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Fri 12: Alexia Gardner @ The New Ship Inn, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. 8:00pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy, Abbie Finn.
Fri 12: Jive Aces: Swingin’ Xmas Show @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm.

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, May 18, 2022

Jammin' @ the Black Swan - May 17

A fortnight ago, I bemoaned the absence of the horn players (Where have all the blowers gone?). This time it was Where have all the guitars gone? and, apart from Esther who was impressive on clarinet and David Gray who blew the room apart with his cutting edge solos and a croony vocal on Just Friends this was indeed predominantly a singers session - almost a jazz Go As You Please at the Wheeltappers and Shunters!

Don't get me wrong, all of the singers are rated highly across the region and can pull paying gigs. However, the beauty of a jam session lies in the mix of instrumentalist and vocalist which, tonight, was very much biassed towards the latter. So I look forward to seeing the balance redressed at future jams. Lance

Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (bass); Abbie Finn (drums) + Edgar Bell (cornet); David Gray (trombone/vocals); Esther Coombes (clarinet); Haaruun Miller (alto/tenor sax); Jack Anderson (bass/bass guitar); Murray Wankling (piano); Chris Finney, Tom Parry-Jones, Will Pease, Mark ?, Michael Mather (drums); Jan Spencelayh, Kit Giroux, Niffi Osiyemi, Ian Dreever, Patrick Cromb, Chen ?, Will Reece (vocals).

9 comments :

Haaruun Miller said...

One of the drummers was called Mark Taylor. Not sure about the rest of them though.

Brian shine said...


Your right a about a jazz go as you please at the Wheeltapers and shunters, before long we will have the bingo on

BRIAN SHINE

Ann Alex said...

Sorry Lance but I have to say that you sound very dismissive of all these talented singers. Why don't you tell us what they sang and how they compared with each other? Patrick Cromb alone deserved a mention as a fairly new kid on the block. I've heard him and he's very good. Come to think of it, you haven't mentioned much about the instrumentalists either!
Ann Alex

Russell said...

Ann, perhaps it's jam session fatigue (on Lance's part). Where have all the horn players gone? If you want to hear what's been happening recently, why not come along, drink some beer (lots of it!) and find out for yourself.

Paul Grainger said...

Thanks for that Haaruun, in the melee I don't always manage to get everybody's names or give them full credit. Also thanks for coming along and playing. It was good to meet you and hear you play. I hope you can join us on the 31st for the next session: https://fb.me/e/4th5mh3Eu

Lance said...

Well Ann, seeing as you asked, here are some of the songs:
Jan:Autumn Leaves, Cheek to Cheek.
Kit: Don't Get Around Much Anymore, But Not For me.
Niffi: Sweet Georgia Brown, I Wish I Knew How it Felt to be Free.
Chen: Fly me to the Moon.
Ian: Come Fly with me, The Shadow of your Smile.
Patrick:Someone to Watch Over me, It Had to be You.
Will Reece: Bewitched.

The trio opened up with My Silent Love and Who Can I Turn To?
Other instrumentals included All Blues and Misty featuring Edgar and Haaruun. Impressions with David Gray, Murray and Jack on bass guitar.

The finale was Work Song with Michael Mather on triangle.

Ian said...

Nice meeting you on the Metro, Lance.
I'll have to get along for a look in sometime ;-)

Ann Alex said...

Lance, Thanks for all the extra information. The triangle on Work Song sounds like fun!
Russell, I really wish I could get along to these jam sessions but I have mobility problems just now, hopefully this will be dealt with by physiotherapy soon.

Lance said...

Ian, next one is on May 31. 7:30 start. Check it out.

Blog Archive