Bebop Spoken There

Donovan Haffner ('Best Newcomer' 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards): ''I got into jazz the first time I picked up a saxophone!" - Jazzwise Dec 25/Jan 26

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

18146 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 24 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 7), 24

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Sat 10: Mark Toomey Quintet @ St Peter’s Church, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:30pm. £12.00. (inc. pie & peas). Tickets from: 07749 255038.

Sun 11: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Milne Glendinning Band @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 13: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 15: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. Quartet + guest Paul Donnelly (guitar).

Fri 16: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Darlington Big Band @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 16: Leeds City Stompers @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

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

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Album Review: Dinner Party – Dinner & Dessert (Empire/Sounds of Crenshaw)

Kamasi Washington (main artist, lyrics, producer); Patrick Douthit (aka 9th Wonder) (main artist, lyrics, producer); Robert Glasper (main artist, lyrics, producer); Terrace Martin (main artist, lyrics, producer); Michael E. Neil (featured artist); Marlon Williams (guitar), Pheolix, Buddy, Ruben Vincent, Malaya, Tarriona Tank Bilal, The Mighty Tree (featuring Herbie Hancock), Rapsody, Cordae, Snoop Dogg, Alex Isley (various contributions)*

The unusual credits listings reflect the co-operative nature of this work. It’s not an album, as such, but an EP (Dinner Party) from 2020 and a remix EP (Dessert) from later that year intended as an alternative to the original. Both have now been combined onto a CD for the first time in that format. It’s fairly smooth, urban late night jazz/soul/hip hop and it’s a lovely piece of work. The relatively smooth music is a way of smuggling in some more pointed lyrical comments, most of which are sung rather than rapped.

Three of the principals, namely Glasper, Martin and Washington are respected instrumentalists in their own right, but for this project they have grasped opportunities afforded by newer technologies and newer ways of working to frame their instruments in a different way. There is some strong soloing, notably from, (I believe), Terrace Martin on The Mighty Tree and Kamasi Washington on Luv U. The song that follows Tree, Freeze Tag, wins the points for a beautiful flowing melody.

The striking artwork from Amani Washington is due praise as well, as is this video for Sleepless Nights in which our leads are cast as superheroes in a piece of Afro-Futurist animation. This video for Freeze Tag is a more straightforward ‘recording of the song’ video. Dave Sayer

*(There are no useful sleeve notes so most of this information has been cribbed off Wikipedia and other sites).

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