Bebop Spoken There

Ethan Hawke (starring as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon): ''Larry [Lorenz] Hart would be so happy that his music and his words and his poetry are still alive.'' - The Northern Echo 27 November 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

18000 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 964 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 24).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Fri 05: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 05: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 05: Jazzy Xmas @ Redhills, Durham. 7:30-10:00pm. £10.00., £9.00., £8.00. Miners’ Hall, Flass St., Durham. Feat. Durham University Big Band & Durham University Jazz Orchestra.
Fri 05: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 05: Alligator Gumbo @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £16.96. Saltburn Jazz Xmas Party.

Sat 06: Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 06: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Minor Swing. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 06: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 06: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76 (inc. bf).
Sat 06: Kaberry Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00. (inc. hot buffet). ‘Christmas 1945’. Kaberry Big Band, formerly Vermont Big Band.
Sat 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ Platform 1, Bedlington. 7:30pm. £6.00. Rhythm & blues.
Sat 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. Xmas Party with buffet.
Sat 06: The Jive Aces @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £22.00., £20.00.
Sat 06: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 07: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. special guest Donna Hewitt (sax, clarinet).
Sun 07: Finn-Keeble Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 07: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio + Ruth Lambert.
Sun 07: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 07: Jason Isaacs Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 5:15pm (4:00pm doors). £21.50 (inc. bf).
Sun 07: Paul Skerritt @ 3 Stories, High St. West, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 07: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Support set from Play More Jazz! course participants. Note earlier start.

Mon 08: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 09: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm

Wed 10: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 10: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 10: Mike Lindup Jazz Trio @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £26.50 (inc. bf). Lindup, Yolanda Charles (bass), John Sam (drums).
Wed 10: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £12.00.

Thu 11: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: West Coast (cool ) / Wordsearch (cool) Cool Jazz or ‘Cold’, ‘Cool’, ‘Hot’, ‘Warm’ in the title or lyrics.
Thu 11: George Robinson @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £5.42 (inc. bf). Vienna’s Voice charity evening featuring ’15 year old singing sensation the ‘Redcar Crooner’ George Robinson’. Over 35s only.
Thu 11: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. back tapes.
Thu 11: Ransom Van @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Thu 11: Down for the Count Swing Orchestra @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:30pm. £37.70 (inc. bf). ‘Swing into Xmas’.

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, August 30, 2023

Jamie Watkins' Major Creative Project Final Recital - August 30

Jamie Watkins (bass guitar); Jacob Egglestone (guitar); Bailey Rudd (drums); Ruby Oldknow (flute); Louis Wild (keyboards); Ellie Melvin (vocals)

Late August, Band Room, Newcastle University. Music recitals are in full swing this week and this afternoon Master's student Jamie Watkins presented his Major Creative Project Final Recital. Fellow students and supporters filed into the subterranean Band Room, the examiners last to arrive. At the appointed time (2:15) Jamie stepped into the spotlight... 
 
Jamie made available programme notes to attendees: Through the course of my master's I have been researching the role of the bassist within the jazz context...Our examinee could well have mentioned his frequent participation at the Black Swan jam sessions - extra curricular, on the job learning! Opening with Marcus Miller's Run for Cover (Miller was on the recording by David Sanborn), Jamie adopted a full-on slap bass approach, his bandmates offering welcome support.

During the one hour recital Jamie shuffled the pack: Victor Wooten's You Can't Hold No Groove (solo), trio numbers with Jacob Egglestone (guitar) and Bailey Rudd (drums) including Sonny Rollins' St Thomas (Jamie noting the bass player on Rollins' album, Doug Watkins, is/was no relation!) and Footprints (Bailey Rudd featured, referencing Ezra Collective). So far, so good! 

Vocalist Ellie Melvin travelled up from York to support Jamie, singing Save Your Love for Me, Ms Melvin impressed, similarly, guitarist Jacob Egglestone's sensitive contribution caught the ear. Pianist Louis Wild and flautist Ruby Oldknow made their mark, in summary, Jamie had put together quite a band!  As a bassist, Jamie couldn't possibly fail to embrace Jaco Pastorius, and he did just that, in his notes writing Jaco Pastorius has been a massive influence. Playing Donna Lee (from Jaco Pastorius) and Havona (from Heavy Weather) Jamie showed us what he could do. Little did Jamie know that way back when, just along the road at Newcastle City Hall, Weather Report (the line-up featuring Jaco) blew away a full house, not once, but twice*.

During the first number Jamie suffered a bloodied, blistered finger, not the sort of thing a musician would wish for on such an occasion. Trooper that he is, our man got on with it. Full marks for that!   

A nice touch to conclude the recital was Jamie's inclusion of Thomas the Tank Engine and Monsters Inc. Theme. And why not? Given a 'jazz treatment', Jamie's arrangements of childhood favourites worked a treat. 

* Note to Jamie...you would have loved the Weather Report gigs. Jaco was, and is, the man! Russell
             
Set list: Run for Cover; You Can't Hold No Groove (If You Ain't Got No Pocket); St Thomas; Donna Lee; Footprints; Bag's Groove; Midwestern Nights' Dream; Ruby My Dear; Save Your Love for Me; Havona; Thomas the Tank Engine: Monsters Inc Theme.   
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