Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

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, October 15, 2022

Album review: Emmet Cohen - Uptown in Orbit

Emmet Cohen (piano); Russell Hall (bass); Kyle Poole (drums); Sean Jones (trumpet; Patrick Bartley (alto sax)

This one had 'play me'  written all over it! Not physically, but with the concept - that of  'bringing the tradition of jazz to the forefront while providing the modern twist needed for the current times.' 

Six of the eleven tracks are by the trio with the horns present on the other five. 

As anyone who has watched Cohen's livestreams from NYC over the past couple of years will know that he is a pianist capable of covering the history of jazz piano from the dawn of the last century to the day after yesterday.

Thus we have works by Willie 'The Lion' Smith, Duke Ellington, Neal Hefti and Gerry Mulligan as well as compositions of his own.

The horns add additional texture with Jones providing the lyrical touch and Bartley the contemporary scream and shout alto sounds so often prevalent in present day jazz. It doesn't hurt and he can do Hodges as demonstrated on The Loneliest - pure Ellington although it may have been dedicated to Monk.

It's one of those albums, unlike so many that I receive which isn't going to be filed away and forgotten. I have the feeling it will be played many times before it falls into that category - well it is Emmet Cohen! Lance. 

Available Oct. 28 on Mack Avenue Records.

YouTube.

Finger Buster*; Uptown in Orbit; My Love Will Come Again; Spillin' the Tea*; Li'l Darlin'*; The Loneliest; Uptown in Orbit (reprise); Distant Hallow; Mosaic*; Venus de Milo*; Braggin' in Brass*. *Trio tracks.

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