Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

May

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Hey Remember This @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 14: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Philip Larkin’s Jazz Experiment.
Thu 14: Jerron Paxton @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb country blues.
Thu 14: Solcade @ the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. 7:00pm. EP launch. Rivkala & co..
Thu 14: Jacob Egglestone @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums) & guests.
Thu 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: 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 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Monday, August 22, 2022

Newcastle Jazz Festival (day four): Emma Rawicz - August 21

(© Malcolm Sinclair)
Emma Rawicz (tenor sax, soprano sax, flute); Dean Stockdale (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Dave McKeague (drums)

The festival's closing concert performance featured Emma Rawicz, recipient of the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group's 2022 'Newcomer of the Year' award. An APPJAG award could/should generate much welcome publicity and Ms Rawicz arrived on Tyneside with quite a reputation to live up to. It begged the question: Would she meet expectations? The house trio for the occasion - Messrs Dean Stockdale, Andy Champion and Dave McKeague - met Rawicz earlier in the day for a one-off rehearsal ahead of an early evening set. A Royal Academy student headlining a jazz festival, no pressure...

Opening up on soprano sax, the word 'blistering' sprung to mind as Rawicz tore into Joe Henderson's A Shade of Jade. This was one impressive calling card. What's more, Rawicz' band mates for the occasion were right there in the fast lane with her (Andy Champion reaffirming his A-list status with a stunning solo)! Switching to tenor sax we heard In Walked Bud. No question about it, the Royal Academy student can play, then some! Drummer Dave McKeague set up a New Orleans' shuffle on April in Paris (Kurt Elling's take on the number a reference point for Rawicz) which developed into a funk-to-swing-to-funk number. Rawicz informed the Tyne Bank audience she was playing Vernon Duke's composition in public for the first time - you'd never have known it!

On her own composition Vera (for her grandmother) we heard the festival headliner playing flute. The tag 'multi-instrumentalist' could be applied to Rawicz! Excellent! On tenor once more for Sonny Rollins' Airegin and again on Body and Soul, Rawicz was acquiring new fans by the minute. To close a marvellous set, Rawicz chose to play A Weaver of Dreams. Superb musicianship all round, pianist Dean Stockdale fleetingly quoting Singin' in the Rain. The Newcastle Jazz Festival audience wanted to hear more. Ms Rawicz was happy to oblige, leaving all trailing in her wake with an 'eyeballs out' take on Impressions. Russell        
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2 comments :

Abbie said...

She finished on Yes or No Russell, not Impressions. Cracking gig!

Monday, August 22, 2022 8:20:00 pm
Russell said...

Thanks, Abbie. I was thinking was it Wayne Shorter? Great tune and a canny gig!

Monday, August 22, 2022 8:53:00 pm

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