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

18878 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 742 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 4.) 21.

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.

Sat 05: Alligator Gumbo @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 05: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Hartlepool Art Gallery. 4:00-6:15pm. £6.00. Concert performance. Tickets available from the venue - tel: 01429 869706.
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 06: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Ian Bosworth (guitar); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Jeremy McMurray (keyboards); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Mark Hawkins (drums) & guest Mick Donnelly (tenor sax).
Sun 06: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Ropner Park, Stockton. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Nils Kavanagh Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 07: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 08: Seijiro Murayama & Jean-Luc Guionnet @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Warwick St., Newcastle, NE2 1BB. 7.00pm. £10.00 (advance); £12.00 (on door); £.15.00 (solidarity).
Tue 08: SH#RP Collective @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 08: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: 58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club. 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: NONUNONU @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE. Excellent trio.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Jacenaite All Crew @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 10: Emma Rawicz INKYRA @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.30. Sage Two. Line-up: Emma Rawicz (sax); Scottie Thompson (piano, keyboards, synth); David Preston (guitar); Kevin Glasgow (bass guitar); Jack Thomas (drums).

Fri 11: Esther Bennett @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £10.00. Esther Bennett (vocals); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass).
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Ray Stubbs’ R&B All Stars @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £14.09 (inc. bf).

Sunday, December 03, 2023

Paul Skerritt w. the Danny Miller Big Band: "A Night of Christmas" @ the Westovian Theatre, South Shields Dec. 2

(© Russell)
December 2 and we're in the home straight heading towards Christmas Day. You could tell it was that time of year as all the songs were about snow or Santa Claus, the band, in the later stages, wore Santa hats and Paul Skerritt wore polka dot underpants (outside of his trousers I hasten to add - this was all good clean fun!).

It was most definitely a family show with singalongs, corny jokes and much onstage hokum twixt Skerritt and bandleader Miller.

The singer was in great voice even though he confessed to me later that he'd had a sore throat - it didn't show.

(© Lance)
The band too were in cracking form with a few locals filling in for those who didn't make the trip from Merseyside: Bill Watson  (trumpet); Kieran Parnaby (trombone); Michael Whent (bass guitar) and the ubiquitous John Bradford (drums) were the super-subs.

(© Lance)
I didn't catch the names of all the visitors mainly because they weren't announced! One name I did catch was that of Phil Shotton who had some excellent solos on alto as well as on clarinet in a quasi-Dixie version of Blue Christmas.

If you look at the set list below I hope you will understand why I didn't pass chapter and verse on each number. Had I  done so, I'd still be writing come next year's event and, in doing so, it would have meant that I'd have had to bypass their prestigious April 26, 2024 gig at the Glasshouse, formerly known as Sage Gateshead, nee the Sage. 

A good start to the season of goodwill to all men and women (particularly women) all that was missing was the mistletoe. Lance

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (instrumental); Santa Claus is Comin' to Town; Let it Snow; Bring me Love This Christmas; The Christmas Song; I've Got my Love to Keep me Warm; Everybody's Waiting For the Man With the Bag; I'll be Home For Christmas; Christmas Alphabet; Jingle Bells (instrumental); When Santa Got Stuck in the Chimney; Santa Baby (instrumental with great solos from Shotton and Parnaby); Sleigh Bells; It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year; Blue Christmas; I Believe in Father Christmas; When Christmas Comes Around; Step Into Christmas; Show me the Magic; Driving Home For Christmas; Walking in a Winter Wonderland; Fairytale of New York.

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1 comment :

Lance said...

Personnel as supplied by Paul Skerritt: Paul Skerritt (vocals); Danny Miller (MD, flugel); Phil Shotton, Arthur Phillips (alto sax); Dan Thorne, Karoline Brennan (tenor sax); Sarah Dutch (bari sax); Josh Betley, Benny Coxon, John Naylor, Bill Watson (trumpet); Kieran Parnaby, Simeon Scheuber-Rush, Andrew Kirtley, Adam Dutch (trombone); Alex Bishop (guitar); Tom Sykes (keys); Michael Whent (bass guitar); John Bradford (drums).

Saxes doubled on flute and clarinet and Bill Watson doubled on flugel.

Sunday, December 03, 2023 7:22:00 pm

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