Bebop Spoken There

John Donegan: ''What you take in through your ears can come out through your fingers.'' (Notes to Which Direction October, 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

19,041 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 905 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 26) 84.

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.

Tue 27: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. guest Julija Jacenaite.
Tue 27: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Wed 28: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 28: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 28: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 29: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 29: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 29: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 29: Radio Pensacola Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Featuring guest Jan Spencelayh.
Thu 29: Simon Taylor Band @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. £8.00.
Thu 29: King Bees @ The Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Superb Chicago blues band.

Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 31: Saltburn Big Band + Durham Alumni Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Sat 31: East Coast Swing Band @ Cramlington Village Club, Park View, Cramlington NE23 6QJ. 7:30pm. £10.00. (from venue).

November

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet w. special guest Donna Hewitt (tenor sax, clarinet)
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Sarah Heneghan Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Monday, March 27, 2023

Musicians Unlimited @ The Park Inn, Hartlepool - March 26

Teesside's premier big band has once again settled into the Park Inn. A recent tour of prospective alternative venues resulted in Mick Donnelly and co deciding to return on a permanent basis to the Park Road hostelry. The band sets up, the punters turn up, and sometime shortly after one o'clock MD Donnelly gets thing under way. A simple formula and it's a winning one. All seats taken, band vocalist Jan Spencelayh was pressed into action from the down beat. Fascinating Rhythm was a new chart for Musicians Unlimited (the Ella version) and all, not least Jan, came through with flying colours.

Bill Watson (trumpet) and Josh Bentham (tenor sax) featured on I've Found a New Baby, all sections firing, including the trombones, shorn of it's bass 'bone man who happened to be stationary somewhere on the A19 thanks to an earlier accident further down the road. Jan was to have a busy afternoon, returning to the stage to sing Too Marvelous for Words. Our vocalist could be heard loud and clear, no mean feat standing in front of a swinging big band with the trumpet section blowing into your left ear!

The MU ensemble had some fun on Más Que Nada before Jan stepped up once more singing What a Difference a Day Makes, later knocking out Sway, Our Love is Here to Stay, He's a Tramp and a surprise, a pleasant one at that, the Stealers Wheel chart hit Stuck in the Middle with You. The band, still without the base 'bone, mixed it up with Lullaby of Broadway (veteran Ray Dales, alto sax, showing he's still got it), Sammy Nestico's Switch in Time, On a Clear Day (Bill Watson, flugelhorn, and tenor man Josh Bentham producing two of the afternoon's many highlights) and the closer, Jim Martin's arrangement of Sweet Georgia Brown. Russell         

Mick Donnelly (MD); ?, ?, Kevin Eland, Bill Watson (trumpets); ?, John Day, ?, (trombones); Ray Dales, Kim Skerritt (alto sax); Josh Bentham, Barbara Fagan (tenor sax); Jill Nelson (baritone sax); Ian Bosworth (guitar); Gary Hadfield (piano); Ron Smith (bass guitar); John Bradford (drums); Jan Spencelayh (vocals)

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