Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: ''It was then that Coltrane came along and single-handedly brought this dimension of spirituality into jazz. It was a pivotal experience to me.'' (DownBeat September, 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

18982 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 846 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 8.) 25.

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

October.

Fri 09: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 09: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle.

Sat 10: Catfish Keith @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.00. + bf. Jumpin’ Hot Club.

Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Feat. guest Jack ‘Banjo’ Courtney (trumpet).
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Harry Christelis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A Jazz Co-op-JNE co-promotion.

Mon 12: Jack Pearce Quintet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 12: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Julija Jacenaite (vocals).

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: A Night of Stevie Wonder @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 4:45pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 14: A Night of Stevie Wonder @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 7:30pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 14: NW FRQNC @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.00. Selina Albright, Gianni Vancini.
Wed 14: Jacob Egglestone Trio @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 15: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 15: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 15: Leah Kirk: A Strange Affair @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Leah Kirk (vocals); Alan Law (keyboards); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 15: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. PJO w. guest Graham Hardy (trumpet).

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Album review: Simon Belelty - Pee Wee

Simon Belelty (guitar); Kirk Lightsey (piano); Asaf Yuria (sop/tenor sax); Josh Evans (trumpet); Jason Brown (drums - John Betsch on tks 3,4); Giles Naturel (bass - Darryl Hall on tks 3,4).

I said we had another Kirk Lightsey album coming up and, yes, this it albeit not under his name. That accolade goes to guitarist Belelty who has put together a superb band that plays in the post hard bop style that I love. Apart from Lightsey the others are new names to me but ones I'll certainly be keeping an eye open for and not least because of the leader himself who has the mellow sound I love to hear from a jazz guitar. No distortion, wah-wahs or fuzz boxes just that lovely, mainly single string approach.

Of course Lightsey is no passenger - when is he ever? Without over asserting himself he is alway there popping up with tantalisingly brief insertions or lengthier solos such as in Shorter's Witch Hunt. 

Vincent Youmans' classic, More Than You Know features him in a lengthy exploration of the verse before bringing in Yuria to state the theme. The others lay out and this is one of those classic duets that sometimes happen in jazz but don't always succeed - this one does, does it not! 

Thad Jones' Lady Luck is one of those catchy heads that the  Basie alumni so often came up with and this one is a pippin. It was originally recorded by Thad on trumpet with brothers Hank and Elvin on piano and drums respectively. This band do the Jones' boys proud.

More Shorter on United and fine solos from the leader, piano, trumpet and tenor.

First time round, I listened in bed anticipating that, as so oftens on these occasions, I would drift off into the arms of Morpheus imagining I was drinking martinis (shaken not stirred) with a defrosted blonde in Birdland listening to, say, this very band. However, dreams don't always work out as you expect. After the disc spun to a close I was still some distance from the Land of Nod trying to remember the name of the final number which, eventually turned out to be Jay Livingston's Never Let me Go. Now I could sleep although I'd missed out on most of the daylight saving time's extra hour in bed! Check this one out on JOJO RECORDS - Lance

Habiba; 415 Central Park West; Pee Wee; Witch Hunt; More Than you Know; Lady Luck; United; Never Let me go.

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