Bebop Spoken There

David Bailey (photographer): ''When I was 16 I wanted to look like Chet Baker. He was my idol - him and James Dean.'' (Talking Pictures documentary : Four beats to the bar and no cheating April, 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

18469 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 333 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 27 ) 67

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

April

Thu 30: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: International Jazz Day & JANE AGM.
Thu 30: Duke Junction @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Nadim Teimoori (tenor sax); Jeff Hewer (guitar); Martin Longhawn (organ); Steve Hanley (drums). An International Jazz Day event & the 12th anniversary of Newcastle Jazz Co-op acquiring the Globe!

May

Fri 01: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 01: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 01: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 01: Bede Wind Band + East Coast Swing Band @ Cullercoats Methodist Church. 7:30pm. £10.00. Tickets from: www.ticketsource.com, members of Bede Wind Band & at the door. Memorial concert for Anne-Marie Purvis, who was a member of both ensembles. All proceeds to Tiny Lives Trust.
Fri 01: Louis Louis Louis @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00.

Sat 02: Midnite Follies Orchestra @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £20.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club. All-star line-up.
Sat 02: Knats Masterclass & Jam II @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 1:00-3:00pm. £15.00.
Sat 02: Shannon Pearl + John Pope & John Garner @ Langley Tracks, Langley on Tyne NE47 5LA. 5:30pm (doors). £15.00. + £1.50. bf. ‘Witch-pop’ + Pope & Garner.
Sat 02: Knats + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sat 02: Midnite Special @ Station East, Gateshead. 7:30pm. Free. A Lonnie Donegan ‘King of Skiffle’ celebration.
Sat 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 03: Chilcott Jazz Mass @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 9:30am. Free. Sung communion with Parish Choir (featuring Bob Chilcott’s music). A Jesmond Community Festival event.
Sun 03: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 03: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Mark Toomey (alto sax).
Sun 03: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 03: Tom Waits for No Man @ Oxygenic, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm (2:30pm doors). Neckties and Boxing Gloves album launch. £14.00 (gig & a CD); £8.00 (gig only). SOLD OUT!
Sun 03: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76.
Sun 03: John Pope & John Garner @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00.

Mon 04: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: Pete Tanton’s Cuban Heels @ The Library, South Parade, Whitley Bay. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 05: Leah Kirk (voice): Final Year Music Recital @ The Band Room, Music Studios, Assembly Lane, Newcastle University. 2:30pm. Free, open to the public.
Tue 05: Jenny Baker (voice): Final Year Music Recital @ The Band Room, Music Studios, Assembly Lane, Newcastle University. 4:20pm. Free, open to the public.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Newcastle Jazz Festival: Ben Shankland Trio + Amy Thatcher & Fran Knowles @ The Globe - Aug. 16

(© Malcolm Sinclair)
Ben Shankland (keyboards); Ewan Hastie (double bass); Chun-Wei Kang (drums)

Pianist Ben Shankland is an emerging force in Scotland and on the wider jazz scene. In 2022 bassist Ewan Hastie was crowned BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, and Chun-Wei Kang is a drummer we're all going to be hearing a lot more of. As the trio ambled onto stage, many of the Globe's row upon row of seats were occupied. Clearly word had got round, this was one of the hot tickets at this year's Newcastle Jazz Festival. 

(© Malcolm Sinclair)
Young and prodigiously talented, that's all three of them. Much of the trio's set would comprise Shankland's original compositions alongside one or two standards for good measure. At all of nineteen, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire student Shankland is in possession of a formidable technique. A torrent of notes, ideas pouring forth, swinging like the clappers, how can one so young assimilate seemingly the entire history of jazz piano, not to mention having more than a passing acquaintance with the classical repertoire? Amazing, simply amazing! 

(© Malcolm Sinclair)
Hastie's technique was something to behold, secure isn't the word! Kang's strong rhythmic sense allied to faultless use of brushes and sticks encouraged Shankland to stretch out and stretch out he did. As gigs go this one rates very highly. At the year's end when the 'Gig of the Year' lists are drawn up the Ben Shankland Trio at the 2023 Newcastle Jazz Festival cannot be other than a serious contender.         

Amy Thatcher (accordion, keys, vocals); Fran Knowles (drums, keys)

(© Malcolm Sinclair)
Earlier, Tyneside-based duo Amy Thatcher and Fran Knowles opened the 2023 Newcastle Jazz Festival. Hearing an accordion-drums duo isn't an everyday occurrence. Catching a recent performance by Thatcher and Knowles at Newcastle Arts Centre encouraged your reviewer to bag a front row seat here on Railway Street. Opening with This Town is Big Enough for the Both of Us, we were listening to a heady brew of folk melody, drum 'n' bass-inspired riffs, quirky, off-centre beats and no little humour. A set of three quarters of an hour featured material from the duo's album Emergency of the Female Kind.

Accordionist Thatcher handled the majority of the announcements, the interplay between the two musicians seemingly telepathic, Knowles' eyes on Thatcher's every move. Titles such as Anyway, Back to Me and Power to the Loser suggest Thatcher and Knowles don't take themselves too seriously although the content, not least lyrically, points to a keen observational eye/ear. A good start to the NJF 2023. Russell      
at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive