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.

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).

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

Monday, September 18, 2023

Sunday night @ the Globe: MSK - Oct. 17

(Publicity shot)
Martin Douglas (drums); Steve Glendinning (guitar); Katy Trigger (elec. bass)

MSK - Who are they I wondered? A gang of platers or welders? No.They turned out to be Martin, Steve, and Katy - aka Douglas, Glendinning and Trigger, the clue is in their first names. A trio, born a few months ago in an Ouseburn rehearsal room, and now fully fledged.

And how they did  fly! Urged on by perfectly matched musical companions, guitarist Steve Glendinning created beautiful flowing lines over the group's attractive and unusual compositions. On other pieces he startled us with the drama and savagery of his playing over darker chord progressions and more jagged rhythms. Steve's ease with the guitar and skill in exploiting its sonic possibilities reminded me of Jeff Beck. The level of melodic invention was staggering and was sustained  throughout the set.

Katy Trigger's warm and lovely bubbling bass lines provided the perfect complement, witty, elastic  and muscular, with notes it seemed magically planted, or left out, in exactly the right places. She was locked in, almost telepathically,  with  Martin  the drummer who whilst driving the show with seasoned precision was forever feeding tantalising  rhythmic ideas to the other two with a stab here or a gap there. And they responded.

This was real, spontaneous music making, live, in front of our eyes. The three  moved as one all night, and spurred each other on with obvious delight. They could not  help but smile - and neither could we.

The repertoire? We had Zappa, Metheny, and Nica's Dream but best for me were the originals - even with such unexciting names as Number 2 and Number 3! Apparently there is no Number 1 yet but I do hope that we will soon get to Number 9.

A supergroup in the making? As I said, I was lucky to be there. Oliver Morse

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