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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 12: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: The ’58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club, West Park, 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 18: Brand New Heavies @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

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

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Paul Hartley Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - April 25

(© Jeff Pritchard)
Paul Hartley (guitar); John Hulme (trumpet/flugel); Ken Marley (bass); Eryl Roberts (drums).

I’ve been a big fan of the flugelhorn ever since I bought a Riverside LP In Orbit by Clark Terry which has Clark playing flugel exclusively alongside Thelonious Monk, Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones. In my opinion, it’s one of the greatest albums ever made  and if you haven’t got it, try and get it. It’s been reissued on the Original Jazz Classics label as a CD which contains one bonus track Flugelin’ the Blues.

This leads me to thinking that some tunes are ideally suited to the flugelhorn such as Freddie Hubbard’s Little Sunflower and this had John using his flugelhorn to good effect. Other highlights during the evening for me were Monk’s Well You Needn’t, a tricky tune with a fingerbusting middle eight that everyone did well to negotiate without mishap. Ken Marley, who I believe went down well in the North East recently during his gig backing Zoë Gilby, was heavily featured on this tune. He also impressed me with his basswork on Sonny Rollins' Doxy and Little Sunflower.


Paul Hartley who as well as playing some fine solos on guitar took care of announcing the numbers and we heard Eryl Roberts setting the pace on the closing number which was Ray Noble’s Cherokee. This reminded me of a recent YouTube video I watched of this tune being worked on by a quintet at NYC’s Blue Note lead by trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval and tenorman Chad LB during which they both went into the Clifford Brown scored solo at breakneck speed! Check it out!


The next jazz night at the Railway will be on Sunday April 30 with the Suzanne Fonseca Quartet. Mike Farmer

 

Sandu; Ladybird; Soul Eyes; Moon Alley; Four; Doxy; Joy Spring; Train Shuffle; Little Sunflower; Well You Needn't; April Mist; Cherokee.

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