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

19,012 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 876 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 16) 55.

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.

Mon 19: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Pete Tanton (trumpet, flugelhorn).
Tue 20: Graham Hardy’s Eclectic Quartet @ Queen’s Head, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Tickets from Tully’s, Rothbury. Coquetdale Jazz. Note change of venue.
Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law, Paul Grainger, Scotty Adair.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 21: FILM: Blue Moon @ Washington Arts Centre. 1:00pm. £4.50 (inc. bf). Biopic of lyricist Lorenz Hart.
Wed 21: De'Sean Jones’ Urban Art Orchestra @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.; £5.00. student, unwaged; free to Mercury Awards ticket holders. De'Sean Jones (tenor sax, EWI); Tjoe Man Cheung (guitar); Mikele Montolli (double bass) + others TBA.
Wed 21: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 21: Roby Glod-Steve Sewell Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Thu 22: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 22: Mercury Prize @ Utility Arena Newcastle. 8:00pm. £60.25.; £48.75. Line-up inc. Knats.
Thu 22: Dean Stockdale Trio @ Bandstand!, Exhibition Park, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.20 (inc. bf) via Instagram. Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Thu 22: Olly Styles Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.75.

Fri 23: Sara Oschlag w. Arnie Somogyi Trio @ The Lit & Phil. 1:00pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); John Hirst (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Emma Fisk’s Hot Club du Nord @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 23: Maja Bugge & Dave Evans @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Fri 23: Knats @ King Street Social Club, North Shields. 7:00pm. £17.00., £14.70., £11.30., £5.50. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.
Fri 23: Sara Oschlag & Arnie Somogyi w. Ben Lawrence @ Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Ben Lawrence (keyboards); Arnie Somogyi (double bass).
Fri 23: Ronnie Scott’s Soho Songbook @ Redhills, Durham. 8:00pm. James Pearson (piano); Sam Burgess (double bass); Chris Higginbottom (drums); Alex Garnett (sax); Polly Gibbons (vocals). Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Fri 23: SwanNek + Jacob Egglestone @ Fabio’s Bar, Durham. 9:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.

Sat 24: Jo Harrop @ St Chad’s College, Durham. 2:00pm. Harrop w. Jamie McCredie, Paul Edis, Andy Champion & Peter Adam Hill. Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Sat 24: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. Louis Armstrong. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 24: Seb Rochford’s Finding Ways @ Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, Durham. 3:00pm. Tara Cunningham (guitar); Simon Tong (guitar); Anders Christensen (bass); Seb Rochford (drums). Durham Jazz Festival.
Sat 24: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ St Chad’s College, Durham. 4:00pm. VX & PE w. Andy Champion (double bass) & Steve Hanley (drums). Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Sat 24: OUTRI @ Durham Fringe Academy, Durham. 4:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sat 24: Pete Roth Trio @ Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, Durham. 5:30pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sat 24: Durham University Jazz Society: An Evening of Standards @ Durham University Music School, Durham. 5:30pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sat 24: Rivkala @ Fabio’s Bar, Durham. 6:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Sat 24:Eleonora Kouneni @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. Kouneni (vocals), Paul Edis (piano). Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Sat 24: Marvin Muoneké w. Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 7:30pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sat 24: Knats @ Fabio’s Bar, Durham. 9:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Sat 24: Kind of Blu Jazz Jam @ Radisson Blue Hotel, Durham. 10:30pm. House rhythm section: Paul Edis, Ken Marley & Steve Hanley. Durham Jazz Festival.

Sun 25: Paul Edis workshop: Another Week, Another Composition - How I Compose @ Mark Hillery Arts Centre, Collingwood College, Durham. 10:30am. £16.00. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: Jo Harrop workshop: From Chester-le-Street to LA: A Singer’s Journey @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 11:00am. £8.50. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: Janette Mason workshop: The Art of Arranging @ Mark Hillery Arts Centre, Collingwood College, Durham. 12:30pm. £16.00. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: Dean Stockdale Quartet: Celebrating Oscar Peterson @ Durham University Music School. 1:00pm. Line-up: Dean Stockdale (piano); Jamie Taylor (guitar); Gavin Barras (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums). Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Sun 25: Tom Atkinson’s Electric Miles: Celebrating Jack Johnson @ Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, Durham. 2:00-3:15pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: SULA @ St Chad’s College, Durham. 2:00pm. Kezia Abouma (piano), Aleks Dimitrova (bass), Miranda Radford (drums). Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Swing into Sunday @ St Oswald’s Institute, Durham. 2:30pm. Lindy Jazz. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: Sara Oschlag w. Arnie Somogyi Trio @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Richard Wetherall (keyboards); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); John Hirst (drums).
Sun 25: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free. Ruth Lambert (vocals); Alan Law (keyboards); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Sun 25: Marvin Muoneké Quartet @ St Chad’s College, Durham. 4:00pm. Line-up: Dean Stockdale (piano); TBC (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: Janette Mason Rewired @ Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, Durham. 4:30pm. Line-up: Janette Mason (piano); Jakub Cywiński (double bass); Eric Ford (drums). Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 5:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival. SOLD OUT!
Sun 25: Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion @ Redhills Durham Miners’ Hall, Durham. 6:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £3.00.
Sun 25: Sara Oschlag w. Arnie Somogyi Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Sara Oschlag (vocals); Richard Wetherall (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); John Hirst (drums).
Sun 25: Durham University Jazz Society - Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s Bar, Durham. 8:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.
Sun 25: Olivia Cuttill Quintet + King Pleasure & the Biscuit Boys @ Redhills Durham Miners’ Hall, Durham. 8:00pm. Durham Jazz Festival.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Album review: Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez, Ronnie Cuber, WDR Big Band - Center Stage


I posted a YouTube clip previewing the recording of this album earlier this week (see link above) which certainly whetted my appetite to hear more. Not least because this is probably one of the last recordings of baritone star Ronnie Cuber who died on October 7 - just 8 months after this was recorded.

Cuber is featured throughout and his playing is absolutely superb. He solos on all nine tracks driven along by fellow legends Steve Gadd and Eddie Gomez. Underpinning everything is the powerhouse WDR Big Band - surely Europe's most outstanding contemporary large ensemble.

Brilliant as they are, the Americans don't have it all their own way. Strassmayer sizzles on alto, Bruno Müller impresses on guitar, Hunter does likewise on 'bone and Sparkes II also has his moments on B3. Special mention too for Michael Abene who conducted and arranged the pieces which are, predominantly drawn from sixties rock heroes such as Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and Otis Redding. Buddy Miles, Wilton Felder and Bill Doggett also contribute and there's a couple of originals by Steve Gadd that gives him the opportunity to strut his stuff.

However, at the end of the day, it's Cuber's bari solos that leave the lasting impression his blast on the rockin' combination of Honky Tonk and I Can't Stop Loving You is quite dynamic and a fitting way to remember Ronnie Cuber - we can't stop loving him either. Lance

Signed, Sealed, Delivered; Watching the River Flow; I Can't Turn You Loose; Che Ore So; Them Changes; Way Back Home; Lucky 13; Honky Tonk/I Can't Stop Loving You; My Little Brother.

Ronnie Cuber (baritone sax); Steve Gadd (drums); Eddie Gomez (bass); Bruno Müller (guitar); Bobby Sparkes ll (B3 on 2, 3, 6, 8, 9/Rhodes on 4); Simon Oslender (piano on 1, 7/B3 on 5) + WDR Big Band arranged and conducted by Michael Abene: Andy Haderer, Wim Both, Rob Bruynen, Ruud Breuls (trumpets); Ludwig Nuss, Raphael Klemm, Andy Hunter (trombones); Mattis Cederberg (bass trombone); Karolina Strassmayer, Johna Hörlén (alto saxes); Malte Dürrschnabel, Paul Heller (tenor saxes); Jens Neufang (baritone sax).
at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive