Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (DownBeat May, 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

18532 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 396 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 15) 50

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

May

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 22: Paul Skerritt @ Market Place, Durham. From 12 noon. Free. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £TBC. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.

Monday, March 13, 2023

Ben Crosland Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - March 12

Ben Crosland (bass guitar); Dean Stockdale (keys); Rod Mason (tenor/sop sax); Dave Tyas (drums).

Once again the information on the March flyer was incorrect  listing this band as a trio when there were four musicians involved. I was pleased to see that Rod Mason was in the lineup as he has not played this venue for a while. He was using tenor sax and a curved soprano for this gig although I noticed he had also brought along an alto but I don’t think it was utilised. Rod likes to play sitting down these days but this does not impede his high energy approach and his solos tonight were well received by the Sunday night audience.


This was the first time I have heard Ben Crosland although he appeared here last year but I think I was on holiday at the time.  He started things off tonight with a Wayne Shorter tune One By One and I thought this was a fitting tribute to one of the greatest tenor players and composers that the jazz world has known. For the second tune Ben explained that he was a big fan of pop singer Ray Davies who lead a group called the Kinks and one of their biggest hits was Waterloo Sunset.  This set the tone for the rest of the concert which contained more Kinks numbers plus some Crosland originals such as Solway Story, a feature for Rod Mason on soprano, and Blues for Jeff  being a tribute to the late bass player Jeff Clyne.


Taking care of things in the drum department was Dave Tyas who is well known in this area from his work in big bands such as Shades of Kenton and SK2. Dean Stockdale did a great job on his Roland keyboard and produced a nice Hammond organ sound on the Kinks You Really Got Me.  One number that I liked a lot was Bob Mintzer’s Mr Fonebone which was the final tune bringing to a close another satisfying night of modern jazz at the Railway.


The next jazz night at the Railway is on Tuesday March 14 with the Paul Hartley Quartet featuring Gair Carson,

 

One by One; Waterloo Sunset; Sunshine and Showers Three Views of a Secret; Solway Story; You Really Got Me; Crossborder Blues; Sunny Afternoon; All Day and All of the Night; Blues for Jeff; Cost of Living; Mr Fonebone.

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