Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

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, June 21, 2023

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2023

The seventh annual Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music 2023 will take place this year over three weekends at various venues across the city.

Artistic Director and Festival Producer, Wesley Stephenson, said: Launched in 2017, the festival continues to respond to the city’s appetite for a contemporary grass roots jazz festival, presenting an innovative and diverse international line up, celebrating and pushing boundaries that challenge perceptions of jazz and improvised music. 

This year we welcome new performance spaces including the Jesmond United Reformed Church  and Blank Studios, alongside our regular venues Bobiks, the Globe and the Newcastle Literary  and Philosophical Society. 

We are also especially delighted to include three performances from the Edith Adamson Carillon at Newcastle Civic Centre. A landmark on the Newcastle Skyline the carillon is the heaviest of its  kind in the world, with a total metal
mass of 22 tonnes, what a treat to hear the 25 bells ringing  out across the city through a specially commissioned festival piece for our three weekends.  

We continue to work with our lead partners Jazz North East, but also other key regional promoters  including Jazz.Coop, GemArts and the Thursday Night Prayer
Meeting. 

Alongside British and International UK based artists this year we’re delighted to be bringing  musicians from Italy, Switzerland, France and multiple Scandinavian regions.  

Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music gratefully acknowledges Arts Council England,  associated partners and funders for their support. 

Our festival this year is dedicated in memory of Steve Horowitz who recently passed, a tireless  supporter of the Tyneside jazz scene who will be sadly missed but never forgotten. We hope you enjoy the show!  Wesley Stephenson (Artistic Director and Festival Producer)

Artists:

Jon Bradley with Paul Taylor 

Three Tsuru Origami  

Paul Edis with Graeme Wilson 

Zoe Rahman Band  

John Pope Quintet  

Late Girl  

Shapeshifters 

Sarah Gail Brand/Cath Roberts/Andy Champion/Mark Sanders/David Birchall /Thomas Dixon/John Pope 

Alcyona Mick  

Balo  

Moonfish  

Semay Wu  

Mimam 

Maja Bugge with Sarah Niccols 

Olivia Moore with Adam Fairhall 

Rie Nakajima  

Samuel Blaser Trio  

Laura Toxværd with Jeppe Zeeberg  

Atzi Muramatsu and Fritz Welch  

Ubunye  

Zoë Gilby Quintet with Tony Kofi 


FULL PROGRAMME.

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