Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (DownBeat May, 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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

May

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Hey Remember This @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 14: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Philip Larkin’s Jazz Experiment.
Thu 14: Jerron Paxton @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Superb country blues.
Thu 14: Solcade @ the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle. 7:00pm. EP launch. Rivkala & co..
Thu 14: Jacob Egglestone @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass); Jack Littlewood (drums) & guests.
Thu 14: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Album reviews: Cannonball Adderley Quintet - (1) Burnin' in Bordeaux: Live in France 1969. (2) Poppin' in Paris: Live at L'Olympia 1972

(1); Cannonball Adderley (alto sax); Nat Adderley  (cornet); Joe Zawinul (piano, electric piano); Victor Gaskin (bass); Roy McCurdy (drums) + unknown vocalist on Oh Babe.

(2): Cannonball Adderley (alto/soprano sax); Nat Adderley  (cornet); George Duke (piano, electric piano); Walter Booker (bass); Roy McCurdy (drums).

Just as I  never got to see Charlie Parker live one of my other eternal regrets is that I never heard Cannonball live either and these three discs, spread over two CDs (or four LPs), only serve to place an even greater awareness of what I missed. True I heard Nat Adderley at an excellent Corner House session in Newcastle but, good as it was, nothing could compare with hearing the brothers in full flight as on these three discs.

Although a couple of  numbers are duplicated they are very different suggesting they have evolved over the three years separating the two concerts. The big difference is Joe Zawinul on the earlier and George Duke on the later one. My personal preference is for the tracks with Zawinul - I  found Duke's frenetic approach a bit too much for my less adventurous tastes although in fairness upon listening to the later concert again he does become more accessible. Maybe I've just woken up after being asleep for a hundred years. Either way both are highly recommended for those who are partial to musical soul food with a 1970ish contemporary twist.

The 16 page booklets that accompany both albums have excellent notes by Bob Blumenthal although even he is unable to identify the blues singer on Oh Babe, the encore noisily demanded by the fans in Bordeaux. MYSTERY SOLVED - see comment.

These, and many others, are due for release on Record Store Day 2024 (April 20) via Elemental Music and other labels. DETAILS. Lance

(1a): The Scavenger; Manhä de Carnaval; Work Song; Somewhere; Why am I Treated so Bad?; The Scene. (1b): Experience in ; Blue 'n' Boogie; Come Sunday; Walk Tall (Baby That's What I Need); Mercy, Mercy, Mercy; The Scene; Oh Babe (features unknown blues singer).

(2): Black Messiah; Autumn Leaves; Soli Tomba; Walk Tall (Baby That's What I Need); The Scene; Doctor Honoris Causa; Hummin'; Directions; Mercy, Mercy, Mercy; The Scene.

3 comments :

Gordon Solomon said...

Some time ago I came across a You Tube video of Oh Babe from this session. The vocalist is listed as Cannonball’s brother, Nat Adderley.

Russell said...

An internet search does indeed suggest the vocalist is Nat Adderley. Bob Blumenthal doesn't credit Nat as vocalist, perhaps he (Blumenthal) knows more than we do.

Gordon Solomon said...

Fortunately the YouTube video is still available to watch. It clearly shows Nat as the vocalist, standing holding his cornet.
Cheers.

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