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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, April 2025).

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

17957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 278 of them this year alone and, so far, 34 this month (April 14).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Tue 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT! Duo performance.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums).
Fri 25: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 25: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton Mill. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Fri 25: Struggle Buggy @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 25: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £20.30., £18.00. All-star big band.
Fri 25: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Russ Morgan (drums). An Opus 4 Jazz Club event.

Sat 26: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 26: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. Tickets: £12.00. + bf. Duo performance.
Sat 26: Neil Cowley Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.50.
Sat 26: Pete Tanton & the Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Andrea Vicari Trio @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. Vicari (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 27: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Paul Susans, Russ Morgan.
Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: JustKing Jones @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.50. JustKing Jones (alto sax, soprano sax); Jordan Williams (piano); Jason Clotter (bass); Malcolm Charles (drums). Ace NYC outfit!
Sun 27: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 27: Swing Manouche @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00. Tickets from 01665 711388.
Sun 27: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Xenopoulos, Edis, Ken Marley, Russ Morgan.

Mon 28: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: ???

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

Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ The Traveller's Rest, Darlington - Oct. 14

Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax, soprano sax, flute); Paul Edis (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Steve Hanley (drums)

Earlier in the day Vasilis and Paul played a duo gig at Durham's Gala Theatre with a focus on 'home'. The theme continued this evening at Opus 4 Jazz Club. Joining our duo, A-listers, bassist Andy Champion and drummer Steve Hanley. A good turn out at the Traveller's Rest suggested word had got around that this gig was definitely one not to be missed. A pint of Theakston's Bitter (cheap as chips), a strip or two of raffle tickets, we were set fair.


As at the Gala, the set opened with Cole Porter's You'd be so nice to come home to (solos all, regulation fours). Dvorak's Going Home by way of a Stanley Turrentine arrangement (Turrentine is one of Vasilis' favourite saxophonists) heard our London resident Greek tenor player in stupendous form (scribbled notes consisted of one word - 'WOW!'). Switching to flute, Vasilis impressed again, as did Steve Hanley (brushes in hand) with a commanding solo. Not to be outdone, Andy Champion landed a knockout solo of his own on Memories of Home (comp. V. Xenopoulos). To close out a marvellous first set the quartet blazed a trail on VX's Dexterology.

The interval: another pint of Theakston's and, wait for it, a winning raffle ticket three times on the bounce! Your correspondent bagged one prize (an Ike Quebec CD) and declined to take the others (the raffle meister re-drawing the tickets). 

Second set, more of the same, ie. stellar playing from a stellar quartet. On the Street Where You Live featured VX in stunning form, a torrent of fleeting quotes peppering a majestic tenor sax solo. Paul's London Lockdown featured its composer and, playing soprano sax, Vasilis. Setting up a Coltrane groove, Vasilis played his socks off, one punter exclaimed: He's the boy! 

PE's The Coast sounded better than ever, The Folks Who Live on the Hill the evening's ballad highlight, then, to finish, the title track of the Xenopoulos-Edis album, A Narrow Escape. An encore? You bet! Vasilis said they'd go out on a blues. A blues by way of TS Monk. This was world class jazz here in Darlington. Saturday (Oct. 15) the show moves up the road to St Cuthbert's Centre in Crook (Abbie Finn replaces Steve Hanley) and on Sunday the 'up north' tour concludes in Newcastle at the Jazz Co-op on Railway Street. Saturday or Sunday (both?!), don't miss these guys!  Russell      

2 comments :

Abbie said...

You've listed me at the top as drumming on this one, you might want to change that to Steve :) cheers

Lance said...

Sorry Abbie, now corrected!

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