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.

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).

Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Ancient Infinity Orchestra @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 16: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01. adv.; £15.00. on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Repas 7 by Night, West St., Berwick. 8:00pm. Free.

Monday, January 16, 2023

Al Wood Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - Jan. 15

(© Jeff Pritchard)
Al Wood (alto sax); Martin Longhawn (keys); Grant Russell (bass); Dave Hassell (drums).

This gig was supposed to be a quartet led by bass player Dave Lynane but due to illness Grant Russell stepped in as a last minute replacement.  The room was filling up nicely by 9:00pm and after a brief introduction Al Wood got things off to a great start with an uptempo version of Irving Berlin’s  Cheek to Cheek, a number that always makes me think of Phil Woods and his superb LP Live at the Showcase which I used to have in my record collection.


I liked all the tunes that Al selected and they covered a wide range of composers including Buddy Johnson, Bernie Miller, Lester Young, Benny Carter, Duke Jordan, Sonny Rollins, and Dizzy Gillespie.  If your taste in alto sax players includes Phil Woods, Art Pepper and Cannonball Adderley, you are sure to like Al Wood who I daresay has listened a lot to these legends. I always like to hear tunes that I’ve never heard before and one of these was a blues in F by Gerry Mulligan entitled Blue by Blue. St Thomas is a number more often done by tenor players so I found Al’s version an interesting take on Rollins' classic calypso.


During the second set I was pleased to hear that Martin Longhawn was to be featured on Body and Soul and he really sounded like he knew what he was doing and throughout the evening he was most impressive on what was I think his second appearance at this venue.  Grant Russell received much applause for his basswork and Dave Hassell who is well known throughout the UK for his work in education did some excellent brushwork on one of my favourite ballads Moonlight in Vermont, an early hit for Stan Getz and Johnny Smith many moons ago. The final tune was Gillespie’s Groovin’ High a good number to end a gig with and lets hope they all come back real soon. I usually mention who is playing next at the Railway but at the moment that is listed as TBA but on Sunday Jan 22 they have trumpeter Neil Yates with his Quartet. Mike Farmer

 

Cheek to Cheek; Save Your Love For Me; Blue by Blue; Moonlight in Vermont; Jordu; Tickletoe; When Lights Are Low; Bernie’s Tune; Body and Soul; St Thomas; Groovin’ High.

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