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).

Thursday, October 06, 2022

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music: Farida Amadou + Bex Burch & Leafcutter + Shifa @ the Lit & Phil - Oct. 2

(© Ken Drew)
Shifa - Pat Thomas (piano); Rachel Musson (tenor sax); Mark Sanders (drums)

What a magnificent way to end a magnificent festival. The final set of the final session was an absolute barnstormer. Shifa completed the festival in some style producing a joyous set of improvised jazz . The trio employed no electronics which after a week of multiple technological odysseys was a somewhat welcome relief (I’m  hoping the cost of electricity will have risen so far by next year's festival that we will be able to enjoy more gigs where the soldering iron is not king). 

This was the  third performance for Pat Thomas of the festival (the others being Black Top and Anthropology) and I really thought that in this setting he was really able to shine. Mark Sanders is a frequent visitor to Tyneside and as ever was tremendous. I am not that familiar with Rachel Musson so Sunday night proved to be a revelation - her playing was quite brilliant. The whole set was exciting , exhilarating and explosive. The only note I made during the final number was ‘Wow’.  As the audience filed out uplifted and fulfilled it was almost possible to forgot for just a few moments the troubled times we find ourselves in – roll on the 2023 festival.


(© Ken Drew)
Bex Burch & Leafcutter John - Bex Burch (gyll, calabash, percussion, voice); Leafcutter John (modular synthesiser & sequencers)


Earlier in the evening there a very ambient set from Bex Burch and Leafcutter John. Bex Burch uses a range of African percussive instruments whilst Leafcutter uses the most modern of electronics. Somehow this juxtaposition of the ancient and space merge to create some amazing effects. In one section I was able to conjure up the image of ships passing each other in a sea surrounded by fog.

 

(© Ken Drew)
Farida Amadou a virtuoso Belgian based electric bass player got things underway.  Amadou has played with many of Europe’s top improvisors including  Jasper Stadhouders, Julien Desprez , Mette Rasmussen and Newcastle favourite Steve Noble.  Sunday’s solo set conjured up a wall of sound with a hint of techno thrown in.  It  was captivating stuff and got an incredible level of appreciation from the audience which Amdaou acknowledged with a wave before gliding out of the auditorium.  Steve H

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