Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 2026)

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

18621 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 485 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 14) 37

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

From This Moment On

June

Tue 23: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 23: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 24: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 25: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 25: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Forgotten Ones & Any Quintets.
Thu 25: Edgar Ho Trio @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free. Brilliant alto sax, piano & double bass trio. Unmissable!
Thu 25: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 26: Finn-Keeble Group @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9:00.
Fri 26: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 26: Clark Tracey @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. £26.00. Day 1/2.

Sat 27: OUTRI @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £13.01. 1:00-1:45pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: House of the Black Gardenia + Magpies of Swing @ The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sat 27: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 2:15-3:15pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 3:45-4:45pm. £13.01. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2.
Sat 27: Rory Ingham @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 5:30-6:30pm. £19.51. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Ingham w. Dean Stockdale, Ian Paterson, Dave McKeague.
Sat 27: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 27: Laura Jurd @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £26.00. Newcastle Jazz Festival. Day 2/2. Sat 27: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary’s Church, Wooler. 3:00pm. £18.00., £6.00. A Wooler Arts Summer Concerts event. Tim Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: An Evening of Jazz @ St James’ Church, Copper Chare, Morpeth. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 from 01670 788869 or 01670 519923. Mid Northumberland Chorus (MD Robin Forbes, Emma Straughan, piano) w. jazz trio featuring Edgar Ho, Oscar Ho & Dave McKeague & special guest Emily Masser. Performance inc. Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass + George Shearing’s Songs & Sonnets.
Sun 28: Led Bib @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.00., £12.00. JNE.

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Monday, August 29, 2022

A library list.

My first encounter with British jazz in book form, was Humphrey Lyttelton's I Play as I Please. Now, a lifetime later, I'm reading it again. Following on from Simon Spillett's masterful work on the life of Tubby Hayes - The Long Shadow of the Little Giant - it occured to me that, between these two extremes, the need is there for an all encompassing record of jazz in Britain.

I know there have been several previous attempts and, although BSH and LJN have been frontrunners in attempting to do this online, I can't think of an actual coffee table tome that has yet to become the definitive work. Perhaps, given the enormity of the subject, we need sturdier coffee tables.

So, with apologies for the omissions, of which I am sure there are plenty, I suggest that the following, given in no particular order and selected from my own library, could be, as of today at 8:00pm, the definitive British jazz bibliography. I'm aware this is but the tip of the iceberg and although I've included regional items - Newcastle, Birmingham, York and Manchester - I'm sure there are many more parochial writings out there, perhaps gathering dust in some village library. Lance

Humphrey Lyttelton: I Play as I Please.

George Melly: Owning Up.

Billy Amstell: Don't Fuss Mister Ambrose.

Vic Ash: I Blew it My Way.

Vic Lewis: All This and Maiden Overs.

Kenny Ball: Blowing my Own Trumpet.

Eddie Sammons: The Magnificent Eric Delaney.

Ted Heath: Listen to my Music.

Alan Robertson: Joe Harriott - Fire in His Soul.

Nat Gonella: Georgia on my Mind.

Harry Gold: Doubloons & Pieces of Eight.

Bruce Turner: Hot Air: Cool Music.

Dick Heckstall-Smith: Safest Place in the World.

Simon Spillett: The Long Shadow of the Little Giant.

Ronnie Scott: Some of my Best Friends Are the Blues.

Jim Simpson: Don't Worry 'Bout The Bear.

Chris Yates: Blue Horizons.

Eric Burdon: I Used to be an Animal But I'm All Right Now.

Graham Collier: Cleo and John.

Jim Godbolt: All This and 10%.

Peter King: Flying High.

Van Wilson: Rhythm and Romance.

Andrew Willox & Eileen Mann: I think we have a find.

Bill Birch: Keeper of the Flame (included upon hearsay).

at

1 comment :

Harry said...

Hi Lance,

just a couple of books published by Equinox Publishing - An Unholy Row Jazz in Bitain and its audience 1945-60 by Dave Gelly and Trad Dads, Dirty Boppers and Free Fusioneers
British Jazz, 1960-1975 by Duncan Heining. Equinox have also published a number of books on various British jazz musicians - Tubby Hayes, Chris Barber, Graham Collier, Ian Carr and Stan Tracey. All edited and Chris Barber's and Ian Carr's biographies written by Alyn Shipton.

Best regards

Harry

Tuesday, August 30, 2022 6:22:00 am

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