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, March 15, 2023

Paul Hartley Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - March 14

Paul Hartley (guitar); Gair Carson (tenor/alto sax/flutes); Ben Wilshire (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums).

 Paul’s guest tonight was Gair Carson a musician who apart from playing in local big bands, also plays in one of the west coast tribute groups that work around this area. His sound on both tenor and alto reminds me of the kind of saxophone style that was prevalent before Coltrane became such a big influence on the jazz scene. 


We get many fine sax players here at the Railway but not many who also play flute. Gair brought with him both the standard concert flute and the lower pitched alto flute which he featured on Here’s That Rainy Day. I thought this was the highlight of the first set and I would have liked to have heard a full evening of Gair devoted to his flute playing.         


A total of 14 tunes were featured tonight and they included compositions by Hank Mobley, Carlos Jobim, Bobby Hebb, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, Cole Porter, Vincent Youmans, Denzil Best and Fran Landesman. 


One number that I liked a lot was Wes Montgomery’s  Far Wes. The catchy theme was played by tenor and guitar in unison.


The audience turnout was lower than normal but that may have been due to the rain or perhaps the Alan Barnes gig in Wilmslow may have drawn away some of the regulars. The next gig at the Railway will be on Sunday March 19 with the Mike Hall Quartet. Mike Farmer

 

Dig This; Wave; Here’s That Rainy Day; Anthropology; Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most;  Sunny; Without a Song; Fried Bananas; Far Wes; Slow Boat to China; Saude de Samba; Why Shouldn’t I?; Sonnymoon For Two; Move

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