Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18918 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 782 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 18.) 61.

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

September.

Sun 27: Salty Dog @ The Cluny. 12:30pm (doors). Free (donations).
Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Zach Sewell-Lara Hopper Quintet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 27: Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free. RESCHEDULED to Sunday 4 October.
Sun 27: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Alex Hitchcock Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Mon 28: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 29: Tenderly: The Life & Times of Nat ‘King’ Cole @ Hepscott Parish Hall. 7:30pm. . £15.00., £12.00. (Early Bird advance ticket), £10.00. Off-Broadway production feat. Duane Forrest.
Tue 29: Red Kites Jazz @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 30: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 30: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 30: Tenderly: The Life & Times of Nat ‘King’ Cole @ The Hearth, Horsley. 7:30pm. £15.00., £12.00. (Early Bird advance ticket), £10.00. Off-Broadway production feat. Duane Forrest.
Wed 30: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 30: New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds + Juliana Day & Manon McCoy + Helen Anahita Wilson @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. A BBC Introducing-Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

October

Thu 01: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 01: Rivkala @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 01: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 01: Hot Club de Heaton @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations).
Thu 01: The Scenic Route @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 02: Alison Gill + Markrokosmos @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music (NFOJAIM).
Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Gilby & Hunter + Andy Champion @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 6:00pm. NFOJAIM.
Fri 02: Abbie Finn Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. The Abbie Finn Trio augmented by Dean Stockdale (piano).
Fri 02: Alexia Gardner Trio @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Fri 02: Zoe Rahman Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 8:00pm. NFOJAIM. SOLD OUT!

Sat 03: New Orleans Ragtime Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club. Gavin Lee & co.
Sat 03: Anemone Quartet + Jeepe Zeeburg @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. NFOJAIM.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Caravan. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Struggle Buggy @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm. Free. Excellent blues band.
Sat 03: Bright Street Big Band @ Washington Arts Centre. 6:30pm. £12.50 (inc. bf). Two sets: 7:30-8:15pm & 8:45-9:30pm. ‘Swing Band Dance Night’.
Sat 03: Olie Brice Quartet + Alexander Hawkins + Harper Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:00pm. NFOJAIM.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Album review: Samara Joy - A Joyful Holiday

Well it's that time of year when Santa arrives with a sackful of CDs to get you into the Christmas spirit although, personally, I'd prefer a glass of mulled wine and I'm not that fond of mulled wine.

However, this EP by one of my favourite singers goes someway to dispelling my apathy.

At least for the first four tracks it does! 

Warm in December: I first came across the Bill Russell song as a track on Julie London's 1956 album Calendar Girls and I've never encountered it since which is a shame as it's a beautiful song that deserves to be heard irrespective of the season. Julie did a job on it and Samara matches it. Fortner (piano), Wong (bass) and Washington (drums) are with her all the way.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little me: Wow! Another winner. I wasn't familiar with the Stevie Wonder tune but, accompanied by only Fortner on piano, the duo make it their own. 

The Christmas Song: Mel Tormé never wrote a better song and both he and Nat 'King' Cole stamped their vocal chords on it. Definitive one might say. However, Samara adds her name to the roll of honour  accompanied by Fortner and David Wong on bass - this is heading to be my best Christmas ever!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Accompanied by her longtime musical associate, Pasquale Grasso on guitar, plus Wong and Washington this must surely, despite the brevity, be the greatest Christmas album of all-time - well it almost was but ...

Oh Holy Night: After the previous four tracks, the mood changed. I've nothing against Christmas carols and, on occasion, I've sung lustily (and maybe only a semi-tone sharp) at those occasions where it was required to sing lustily. However, this 'carol?' just does not work in the context of the album. There's a choir of angelic voices and Fortner doesn't do what a B3 ought to do.

The Christmas Song (live): The game is raised slightly but, after the beautiful studio recording, this is in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's a duet with Samara and Antonio McLendon who was part of the McLendon family group who provided the choir on the previous track. McLendon has a good soulful sound that would be worth hearing, solowise, elsewhere. The combination with Samara, comes across like a pastiche of Vaughan/Eckstine.

So, maybe not the greatest Christmas album of all-time but if they ever release just those first four ... But what am I saying? These days you can download, upload, sideload (for stereo) or even buy single tracks via the online hucksters. A flawed gem. Lance Luddite. 

Samara Joy (vocals); Sullivan Fortner (piano on tks 1,2,3/B3 on tk 5); David Wong (bass on tks 1,3,4); Kenny Washington (drums on tks 1,3,4); Pasquale Grasso (guitar on tk 4); Shedrick Mitchell (piano on tk 6); Eric Wheeler (bass on tk 6); Charles Wayne (drums on tk 6); Antonio McLendon, Goldwire McLendon, Laurone McLendon, Tiera Lovell Rowe, Alana Alexander (backing vocals on tk 5); Antonio McLendon (vocal duet on tk 6)

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