Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Black Swan Jam Session - Feb. 21

(© Lance)
Ben Phillips (keys); Paul Grainger (bass); Mark Robertson (drums) + John Rowlands, Steve Summers, Tom Dixon (tenor sax); Esther Coombes (clarinet); Edgar Bell (trumpet); David Gray (trombone, vocals); Michael Young, Stu Collingwood, Dan Kabakov (keys); Liam Oliver, Laurence Harrison (guitar); Keith Tulip (bass guitar); Bailey Rudd, ? (drums); Cath Stephens, Jan Spencelayh, Martha, Katrina Miller (vocals).

Apologies for not getting all of the names, nor all of the tunes although, at a jam session, you can usually write them in advance. However, whilst we had the staple diet of Stella, Never be Another You, Blue Bossa, Dindi, Well You Needn't, Take the A Train, Caravan, My Funny Valentine and Cry me a River we did have a delightful version of Skylark by Cath Stephens who also did a job on Joni Mitchell's The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines. She even got the pronunciation right - de moin (e as in dress).

David Gray produced a chart for Maceo Parker's Southwark a.k.a. Shake Everything You've Got that had horns-a-plenty funkin' it up.

(© Russell)
As you can see from the line-up which had 4 x pianists, 4 x singers, 3 x drummers, 3 x tenor saxes, 2 x guitarists, 2 x bassists, 1 x trumpet, 1 x clarinet and, possibly, 1 x harmonica* all performing in various permutations it became impossible to write chapter and verse - life's too short! Lance

*Ray Burns, sartorially splendid as always, was present but as I missed the final tear-up I don't know if he received the call.

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