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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, 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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Wed 02: Lauren Bush: The Jazz Singer’s Toolkit @ The Pele, Corbridge. 1:00-4:00pm. Vocalist Lauren Bush with pianist Jamil Sheriff presents a jazz singing workshop. £40.00. (inc. evening concert, see below). Registration required for workshop: www.laurenbushjazz.com. All ability levels welcome.
Wed 02: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 02: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Wed 02: Lauren Bush & Jamil Sheriff @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00-9:00pm. £10.00. Concert performance. Tickets: www.laurenbushjazz.com.
Wed 02: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 02: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! See website for updates: www.theglobenewcastle.bar.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

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

Saturday, June 04, 2022

Paul Edis & Vasilis Xenopoulos @ The Front Room, Croydon - June 2 (Review by Russell)

Paul Edis (piano); Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, flute) 

The Front Room is a short walk from Croydon East Railway Station, that's assuming you know where you're going. In view over on the left, Fairfield Halls, on the right, a construction site (graffiti-strewn hoardings, scaffolding etc). Strolling past the ongoing major renovations, turning right, then left, doubling back, then walking round in circles, it was 11:55am, the gig was due to start at noon. We were going to be late, then, crossing the road with tenor sax case in hand, the man himself...Vasilis Xenopoulos! A smiling Vasilis kind of wondered what we were doing in south London. Well, of course, we were there - in the nick of time - to hear Vasilis play a lunchtime gig with his old mate, pianist Paul Edis. 
Croydon's Front Room occupies a disused shop unit in a sixties' era shopping parade (uniformly ugly, grey-shuttered premises), the construction site of an hour or so earlier. 'Front Room' is set out as a fifties' front room, a china cabinet the central feature. To one side stands a Hammond organ, to the other, a house drum kit. Centre stage, our duo - Paul Edis and Vasilis Xenopoulos. Casual attire (jackets), the first number, Cole Porter's You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To, it had been too long since we'd last heard Paul and Vasilis working together. 

Paul's The Coast (Part One) took a trip (in the mind's eye) around Tynemouth and neighbouring coastal/Tyneside locations. It was good to hear it again. For some reason Paul thought it an idea to play some tunes from 1952 with 'home' or 'place' uppermost in mind. Back Home in Indiana into the contrafact Donna Lee worked brilliantly: Vasilis' endless flow of ideas, liberally dosed with fleeting quotes, Paul responding with some dazzling work of his own. It had been worth the trek from 'up north'! 

Lullaby of Birdland, PE's Mikey's Samba (something to do with cars), Blue Monk (Paul striding out), from 1952 My One and Only Love (a favourite of Vasilis') to a set-closing Perdido. All excellent stuff, for readers based in BSH's heartland, good news, Paul and Vasilis will be up here later in the year.  Russell                
    
Set list: You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To; The Coast (Part One); Back Home in Indiana/Donna Lee; The Folks Who Live on the Hill; Lullaby of Birdland; Blue Monk; Mikey's Samba; Goin' Home; My One and Only Love; Samba ?; I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart; Perdido.
  
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