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.

Friday, February 02, 2024

Album review: Abbie Finn Trio - Stotties for Three

Abbie Finn (drums); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Paul Grainger (double bass)

Stotties for Three received a fanfare launch at Soho's Pizza Express. Southerners were present (many of them), a smattering of northerners, too. Stotties for three were on the menu (ie all eight tracks from the Abbie Finn Trio's new album). The album's compositions, all of which were recorded last year at Blank Studios in Newcastle, are by bandleader Finn.

Northern/family/friends connections abound: Nee Messin' gets right down to it, ie nee/no messing around; Sheila's Song for Finn's grandmother (drummer Finn soloing); Pirates Not Princesses (a memory of childhood); the ballad form Into the Dene (Jesmond Dene, Newcastle) featuring Harry Keeble's assured tenor saxophone playing; Where Are We Going for Lunch? (referencing a frequently asked question prior to/during a rehearsal/recording session) sees Finn directing, Keeble commanding, Grainger negotiating every twist and turn of its old school, swinging sections and grabbing a solo into the bargain.    

Mardi Groove and 210  may or may not have a regional connection, no matter, the former hits a Crescent City groove, the latter a rollercoaster ride. Catching the Wind (an exercise in futility?) closes the album. Stotties for lunch, anyone? Russell

Stotties for Three is available from: www.abbiefinn.com.    

Nee Messin'Sheila's SongPirates Not PrincessesMardi GrooveInto the Dene210Where Are We Going for Lunch?Catching the Wind

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