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.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Bold Big Band @ the Black Swan - April 25

(© Mike Tilley)
Jacob Lightfoot, Pippa Morgan, Crissi Booth, Lucy McCartan, Brian Wicks (reeds); Alex Utting, Bertie Marks, Charis Bailey, Conor Emery (trombones); Billy Bradshaw, Joe Hey, Lucy McKinlay, Thomas Howarth (trumpets); Ben Davies (guitar); Alex Ngeyu (keys); Ifede Osiyemi (bass guitar); Dan Arenstein (drums); Conor Polley (vocals).

The Bold Big Band, not to be confused with the Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra who presumably operate from the same campus, are the best looking big band I've seen in years. They're also the youngest - no shiny pates or grizzly grey beards in this outfit.

They're a well rehearsed band with tight section work all round. The phrasing of the unaccompanied saxes on Cruisin' Bluesin' was absolutely spot on and behind Polley's excellent vocals they achieved an authentic 1930s' sound.

(© Mike Tilley)
Down in the engine room all four kept the ship afloat as a unit and soloed to great effect.

Lead alto Lightfoot  had several solos as did tenor saxists Crissi and Lucy. Billy Bradshaw was featured on trumpet and flugel, Tom Howarth also blew hot and Alex Utting stood up for the sliders.

The beauty of uni-based bands is the personnel changes that occur from year to year as students graduate and leave for 'the professions' with sax slings exchanged for stethoscopes and music cases replaced by legal cases. 

(© Lance)
Hopefully at least some of the band will continue to pursue a career in jazz even if it's only in the evening after a day saying 'open wider' to a petrified dental patient.

A most enjoyable gig. Lance

Numbers included: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy; Have You Met Miss Jones? (v); The Way You Look Tonight (v); El Basso; Cruisin' Bluesin'; A Beautiful Friendship; Every Summer Night; Blue Skies (v); Don't Get Around Much Anymore (v); Sing, Sang, Sung; Pick up the Pieces; Sunset and Vine. 

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