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

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 18: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 18: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 18: 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 19: Joe Steels Group @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 19: Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £14.33., £11.16., £8.00.
Fri 19: Martin Litton @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 (inc. bf); £6.50 (inc. bf); £15.00 on the door. Solo piano. CANCELLED!
Fri 19: Jools Holland’s R&B Orchestra @ Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Joe Webb support set.
Fri 19: Hot Club du Nord @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 19: Jive Aces: The Roots of Rock & Roll @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £20.00 + bf.

Sat 20: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Tynedale Beer Festival, Corbridge. 5:00-6:00pm.
Sat 20: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 20: Red Kites Jazz @ Staithes Café, Dunston. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Trinity Church, Gosforth, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. NCRO w. guests Dean Stockdale & Nick Ward.

Sun 21: From Lagos to Longbenton: Unity in the Community @ Sunderland Minster. From 1:30pm. Free. A multi-bill Unity in the Community event, inc. From Lagos to Longbenton.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio w. Graham Hardy.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 22: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

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.

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Black Swan Jam Session - August 23

Steve Glendinning (guitar); Paul Grainger (bass); Abbie Finn (drums) + Harry Keeble, Paul Gowland, Steve Summers (tenor sax); Haaruun Miller (alto/soprano sax); Esther Coombes (alto sax/clarinet); Nigel Greenwood (flugel); John Weaver (trumpet); David Gray (trombone);  Martin Waugh, Michael Young, Martin ? (piano); Ben Davies, Joe Steels (guitar); Sid White, Michael Mather, Felix Parkin-Christie, Bailey Rudd, Stefan ?, (drums); Jan Spencelayh, Kate O'Neill, Kay De'Ath (vocals).

There appeared to be more musicians than listeners in the audience although some of the musicians were also listeners as they awaited the call to arms.

Faces new and faces old culminating in what could have been the jam session to end all jam sessions with seven or eight horns jostling for floor space. However, the lateness of the hour - 10:20pm meant that soloists were just getting into their stride before their allotted couple of choruses were up. A more elastic approach could have resulted in a jam that Norman Granz would have been proud of!

With A-listers and B+ players present it would be unfair to single out any one player. However, it was a sheer delight to hear, amid the hoary old jam session favourites (admittedly all played/sung well) such as Stella, All the Things, Georgia, Fever, Softly, Never be Another You and that Summertime song, Paul Gowland play a couple of less hackneyed standards in the form of Speak Low and Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most.

There were drummers-a-plenty and it occurred to me why not split the kit between them? A on bass drum, B on snare, C on tom tom, D on floor tom, E on hi-hat etc. the results could be interesting!

Also, it would have been nice to have heard more from Martin Waugh who came down from Edinburgh - he's an excellent all-round entertainer. 

A superb session with too much happening to name check everyone although Kay De'Ath made an impressive debut with Stormy Weather that is worthy of mention - Lance 

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2 comments :

Russell said...

Agreed, Martin Waugh made the long journey south of the border, more from him wouldn't have gone amiss. Lots of new faces. Where do they all come from?!

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 11:48:00 AM
Bailey said...

Just wanted to say it was great meeting Martin on keys who is here for a few weeks, studying from Germany. Hope you look back fondly, all the best in the future!

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 2:43:00 PM

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