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Bebop Spoken There

Trevor Mires: ''My mum is a Dean Martin fan: I'm not, so I would grab my skateboard and get out of the house whenever I heard "Everybody Loves Somebody, Sometime." ". (Jazzwise, April 2025).

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

17957 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 278 of them this year alone and, so far, 34 this month (April 14).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 18: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.

Fri 18: Alexia Gardner @ Fika Gallery, Oldgate, Morpeth NE61 1LT. 7:00pm. Trio (Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy).RESCHEDULED FOR JUNE 13

Fri 18: Sarah Jane Morris & Tony Remy: The Sisterhood @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. CANCELLED! 7:30pm (doors). £25.00.

Sat 19: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-3:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 19: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 20: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 20: Salty Dog @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 20: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 21: Newcastle Record Fair @ Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle. 10:00am. Going in search of the Buddy Bolden cylinder…
Mon 21: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 22: Abbie Finn Trio @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ 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: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED!

Thu 24: Mary Coughlan @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £33.80. Blues, jazz etc.
Thu 24: Darlington Big Band @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

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

Monday, March 20, 2023

Mike Hall Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - March 19

(© Jeff Pritchard)
Mike Hall (tenor sax); Dan Whieldon (keys); Ed Harrison (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums).

I’ve just been looking at Mike’s web page and he seems to have quite a few dates lined up for March/April so if you live outside the Greater Manchester area and are looking for some modern jazz, Mike will have something for you.


Here at the Railway there was a full house for this Sunday night concert and after mentioning that he was suffering from a sore throat, Mike went straight into a lively version of Bronislaw Kaper’s much played composition On Green Dolphin Street. A good tune to start any gig with before things got onto a Latin groove with Kurt Weill’s Speak Low during which we heard Dan Whieldon play an interesting solo plus strong support from the bass of Ed Harrison and some great drumming from Eryl Roberts.

Mike selected some choice tunes tonight. As well as the ones already mentioned, they included material by Irving Berlin, Stan Sultzmann. Horace Silver, Tubby Hayes, Eddie Harris, and Charles Mingus. Mike informed the audience of the recent death of Tony Coe who many will remember from his work with Humphrey Lyttelton and when he played with the Clarke-Boland Big Band. Mike played one of Tony’s tunes called Blue September which if I remember rightly was also the name of a two-tenor unit that Mike had with Theo Travis the reedsman with Soft Machine.


One number that I thought was a bit different to the others was Cold Duck Time by Eddie Harris which had the band in a funky groove. I never saw Harris live but have seen videos of him that caught my interest and I have one of his instruction books which if you can get through that you can play anything!  Mike reminded me of Eric Alexander here as Eric likes to play Harris’ tunes.  


There is no jazz on Tues March 21. The next Railway jazz night is Sunday March 26 with Robin Sunflower. Mike Farmer

 

On Green Dolphin Street; Speak Low; Blue September; I Can’t Give You Anything But Love Baby; How Deep Is The Ocean?;Room 608; Cold Duck Time; If I Were a Bell; The Dog Who Played In The Woods; Off the Wagon; Nostalgia in Times Square.

1 comment :

Mike Hall said...

Thank you, Mike Farmer, for the effort you put into writing these positive and informed reviews. As we all know, jazz needs all the help it can get and writing about it intelligently like this can only sustain and develop interest in the music. Thanks. Mike Hall

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