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.

Thursday, March 02, 2023

Album review: Tristan Banks - View From Above

Paul Booth (tenor/soprano sax/flute); John Crawford (piano); Davide Mantovani (bass); Tristan Banks (drums/compositions)

It's only the second day of March and I've already had two cracking CDs to savour which, loving jazz as I do, suggests that this is going to be a good month. 

Yesterday it was Vasilis Xenopoulos, today it's Paul Booth. This is as close to Shangri-La as I'm likely to get unless some previously unreleased Bird or Trane is discovered in the vaults of a long forgotten record company and, even then...

Booth, like Vasi, sets out his stall and must surely get lots of airplay on either BBC or the various online stations. However, apart from Paul's sax playing his flute is equally outstanding displaying a dexterity that's on a par with any of his contemporary transverse blowing instrumentalists. 

Not that it's all Paul. Leader Banks, who composed all of the material, drives it along, often with a Latin feel with Crawford and Mantovani dotting the i's and crossing the t's. The former also impressed solowise.

I can't cope with this surfeit of riches. Perhaps tomorrow will bring me a re-release of The Osmonds' Greatest Hits to bring me down to earth! Lance

Release date March 31. Ubuntu Music UB0131.

View From Above; Ex Machina; Flex (For Dexter); Possible Bossa; Dust De
vil; Flutter; Capelinhas; Polycephaly; Cidade Alta; Tempesta

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