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

18383 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 247 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 17 ), 57

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

March

Mon 30: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 30: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 31: Bede Trio @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Albert Hills Wright (alto sax); Finn Carter (piano); Michael Dunlop (double bass).

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Monday, December 25, 2023

An American in Paris on stage

Trolling the channels on TV last night I landed on Sky Arts where An American in Paris was being shown. Not the classic 1951 musical with Gene Kelly but a filmed performance of the 2018 Broadway stage show which picked up four TONY  awards during long runs in New York and London's West End.


Although I personally preferred the MGM film this stage production still has a lot going for it in its own right.

There were more songs all, of course, by Gershwin and mainly from old Fred Astaire movies.

The main character (Jerry Mulligan!) is actually a painter rather than a baritone saxophone player. However, from a strictly academic jazz point of view, included in the pit band are Matt Skelton (drums/perc.) and James Mainwaring (reeds).

It is repeated on Sky Arts on Thursday March 28  (10:10am). Lance
at

1 comment :

Anonymous said...

Hi Lance,

Happy Christmas!

I too saw that An American in Paris was on as according to my Sunday Times Christmas TV Guide it was the '1951 Musical with Gene Kelly and Lesie Caron'so decided to watch it. But after watching for about 10 minutes I started to wonder why the cast were shouting and speaking so fast and also why the sets were being moved around, 'Was it a play within the film?' I thought, that maybe I had fogotten about.
Also there was no one I recognised as Gene Kelly or who danced like him.
I checked the Sunday Times again and it definitely said '1951 musical'.

Eventually a kindly fellow resident clarified the situation for me 'Look, it's not the musical with Gene Kelly, right?'

I abandoned it at that stage. Thanks a lot, Sunday Times TV Guide!

JC

Tuesday, December 26, 2023 6:52:00 pm

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