Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise 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

18918 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 782 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 18.) 61.

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

September.

Mon 21: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 21: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. Coltrane centenary.

Tue 22: ???

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ 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: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A John Coltrane Centenary Concert (b. 23. 09. 1926). SOLD OUT!
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 24: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 24: Arun Ghosh @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £21.05. (£22.00. on the door). A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 24: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 25: Mark Williams Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00.
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: Get the Blessing + Dilettante @ The Cluny (Cluny 2), Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00. + bf. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 25: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 26: Adam Fairhall & Johnny Hunter: Play Mary Lou Williams @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 26: John Pope Quintet + Urvashi @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.40. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Sun 27: Salty Dog @ The Cluny. 12:30pm (doors). Free (donations).
Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Zach Sewell-Lara Hopper Quintet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 27: Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free. RESCHEDULED to Sunday 4 October.
Sun 27: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Alex Hitchcock Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Livestream: Peter King Memorial: Saxophone Summit @ 606 Club - Nov. 12

Mornington Lockett, Simon Allen (tenor sax); Graeme Blevins (alto, tenor sax); Karen Sharp (tenor, baritone sax); Deschanel Gordon (piano); Adam King (bass); Mark Taylor (drums).


Four top sax player in various permutations backed by an ace rhythm section paying a deserving tribute to the late alto sax giant Peter King.

Most 'streams from the 606 run for about one hour. Although fashionably late (8 mins) this one ran for nigh on 90 minutes or the duration of nearby Chelsea football club's 'pointless' trip to Newcastle earlier in the evening. Maybe the delay was due to the ill-founded hope that Chelsea would score an equaliser - they didn't!

You win some, you lose some and, musicwise, Chelsea's premier jazz club, as always, were runaway winners.

First out of the traps were Allen and Blevins, the latter on alto and they set a blistering pace driven on by an unrelenting rhythm section. This was the kind of set-to that doesn't normally happen until closing time and this was just the opener!

Mornington Lockett slowed things down, albeit not by much, with Invitation. After an unaccompanied intro he turned it inside out, upside down and any which way including loose. Adam King also had his say.

Karen Sharp and Simon Allen were next up for a mid-tempo romp on a song that has one of my all-time favourite titles Irving Berlin's (You Forgot to) Remember. Neither of the two tenor players had amnesia and it swung.

Karen stayed on board for a solo feature - A Ghost of a Chance - pure lyricism with just the right amount of cutting edge.

Mornington and Graeme - both on tenor - played Alone Together (or was it Beautiful Love? By this time I was on auto pilot and no tune titles were announced).

The final number for us streamers was a jam on Yardbird Suite(?). Three tenors and a bari (Karen) soloed and traded like it was the eve of Armageddon. Some session!

Throughout the set, Deschanel soloed impressively in between the saxophone heroics - he even managed a quote from Mairzy Doats - with King and Taylor also occasionally stepping into the limelight.

This was the second consecutive year that the 606 in conjunction with the EFG London Jazz Festival have paid tribute to Peter King, the altoist died in 2020, and last year the saxophonists included Sam Braysher who, tonight can be heard at the Globe in Newcastle. Lance

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