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

Tuesday, August 09, 2022

Fantracks Acquires Jazzed To Accelerate Growth Of Fanmersive Live-Streaming Platform

(Press release)

FanTracks Digital LLC, the live streaming and fan engagement platform, has acquired jazzed (ETA Productions Ltd), the world’s first cross-media app for jazz, soul and blues. 

FanTracks launched in 2020 with the vision to create a unique fanmersive experience with live streaming at its core. FanTracks has built an engaged community through live streaming rock shows and its exclusive catalogue of video-on-demand concerts featuring A-list artists. jazzed has built a strong user base in its launch territories of UK and Germany based on a deep-dive curated catalogue of jazz, soul and blues and its unique Listen, Watch, Read user experience. 

 

With the acquisition, FanTracks will leverage and enhance the jazzed proprietary technology platform to deliver a deeper app-based experience for selected communities, starting with rock and jazz and scaling to additional genre verticles. The app will offer music fans a cross- media deep dive with live streaming (PPV) at its core. jazzed will launch globally with the enhanced platform in Q4 2022 followed by rock in Q1 2023. 

 

The European based jazzed management and curation team led by co-founders Jonathan Arendt (CEO), Frank Taubert (CTO) and Marcel Engh (CMO) will join FanTracks’ US operation to jointly implement their innovative content strategy and connected venue approach , starting with leading jazz clubs around the world, with state-of-the-art remote production technology. 

 

Ty Roberts, FanTracks CEO, outlines “With the acquisition of jazzed we will accelerate our vision to build the most innovative fan engagement platform anchored around immersive live streaming. The jazzed platform will now sit at the heart of FanTracks vision to scale across other music genres and add Web 3 product features such as NFTs and metaverse experiences. I am delighted to welcome the talented jazzed team to the FanTracks family.” 

 

Jonathan Arendt, jazzed CEO, says “FanTracks is the perfect home for our outstanding cross- media technology. We look forward to supercharging the platform and user experience with their expertise and are excited to now be able to fully realise our vision and take jazzed global.” 

 

About FanTracks 

fantracks.com 

FanTracks is a live streaming and fan engagement platform. The company (FanTracks Digital LLC) was founded by Barry Summers and Ty Roberts in May 2020 in response to the pandemic to allow consumers to continue enjoying the live music experience and gain access to their favourite artists in a personal and safe way. FanTracks is a departure from services that digitally mimic traditional ticketing approaches. The platform offers music lovers access to high-quality, carefully curated, and professionally produced live shows. Its proprietary technology creates a new world of virtual music and fan experiences, from a range of group chat modes to hosted hang-out spaces and parties, to interactive features that bring musicians and music lovers together. 

 

FanTracks' President Barry Summers is an award-winning producer. In the 90s, he worked with Dick Clark as Executive Producer of many successful live shows and has produced award-winning concert films/live TV Specials and numerous Billboard #1 chart-topping DVDs, CDs, and vinyls featuring some of the world's biggest artists. Ty Roberts, FanTracks' CEO, is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Roberts co-founded Gracenote and served as Chief Strategy Officer for nearly 18 years. As a visionary technologist, he developed technologies and data that power products including iTunes, Comcast Xfinity and Ford Sync that are used by hundreds of millions of consumers worldwide. He holds dozens of patents for his inventions and has created multiple technical standards across the industry. 

 

About jazzed 

Jazzed.com 

jazzed is a multi-tier jazz, soul and blues streaming subscription service which has been developed by UK based ETA Productions Ltd, a specialist in creating new digital media platforms for entertainment markets. The App was launched in February 2020, offering a highly curated music, video and editorial (Listen, Watch, Read) experience for the jazz fan. ETA Productions Ltd was co-founded by Jonathan Arendt, former CEO of Jazz FM, the world’s largest English language jazz radio station; Frank Taubert, former founder and CEO of the pioneering digital music service 24/7 Entertainment and Marcel Engh, former Bertelsmann and Sony Music executive. 

 


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