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Bebop Spoken There

Stan Woodward: ''We're part of the British jazz scene, but we don't play London jazz. We play Newcastle jazz. The Knats album represents many things, but most importantly that Newcastle isn't overlooked". (DownBeat, April 2025).

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

17923 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 244 of them this year alone and, so far, 91 this month (March 31).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

Thu 03: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. Subject: Women in Jazz.
Thu 03: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 03: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. A Tees Hot Club promotion. First Thursday in the month.

Fri 04: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 04: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 04: Ruth Lambert Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Fri 04: Tom McGuire & the Brassholes @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00.
Fri 04: Nicolas Meier’s Infinity Group + Spirit of Jeff Beck @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm.

Sat 05: Tenement Jazz Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00.
Sat 05: Sleep Suppressor @ Head of Steam, Newcastle. 5:30-6:00pm.
Sat 05: King Bees @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid @ Lubber Fiend, Newcastle. 6:00-9:30pm. £7.72., £1.00. (minimum donation). MacDonald & Reid + Objections + Yotuns.
Sat 05: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 05: Kamasi Washington @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £33.00.
Sat 05: Vermont Big Band @ The Seahorse, Whitley Bay. 7:30pm. Tickets: £10.00 (from the venue).
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 06: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm (1:00pm doors). Free. Featuring participants from Play More Jazz! Play More Folk! Blue Jam Singers & more.
Sun 06: Joe Steels Group @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Ferg Kilsby, Joe Steels, Ben Lawrence, Paul Susans, John Hirst.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Hooch, Quayside, Newcastle. 6:00pm.
Sun 06: Leeway @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 08: ???

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: Tannery jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Wed 09: Anatole Muster Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50., £12.50. concs.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. CANCELLED?

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

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Album review: Ricky Alexander - Just Found Joy (Turtle Bay Records)

Ricky Alexander (soprano sax, clarinet, vocals, arrangements); Jon-Erik Kellso (cornet); Dalton Ridenhour (piano); Jon Thomas (piano tks 1,3,4,6,7,11); Brennen Ernst (guitar tks 2,4,8,9,10,12); Rob Atkins (bass); Kevin Dorn (drums) + Vanisha Gould (vocals tks 2,5,8,10).

Despite being basically a quintet, the overall feeling I get from my first listen is of those 1940 recordings by the Bechet-Spanier Big Four. On soprano, Alexander has that wide vibrato associated with Bechet although Kellso is a more assertive figure than Muggsy was which makes for more of a level playing field. The illusion is particularly compounded on those tracks where Ernst provides a link between the two just as Carmen Mastren did on the Bechet-Spanier dates. 

People Will Say We're in Love, is taken at a much faster tempo than in the film (Oklahoma) and it works, setting the scene for 45 minutes of small group swing.

Sweet Lorraine. A Rhapsody in Blue(ish) intro from Ridenhour leads into a distinctive vocal from Gould. Alexander adds some vocal harmony. Bechet-Spanier also did a 'job' on Lorraine

King Porter Stomp - and stomp it does! A Lindy Hopper's dream tempo with solos to drive them on to terpsichorean madness.

Promenade, composed by Alexander, has a lovely relaxed tempo.

Gould returns for a bouncy It Had to be You. A suggestion of Pearl Bailey in her phrasing and there's nothing wrong with that. More fine solos from horns and piano.

Just One of Those Things is much more than it says on the tin. Cole Porter may not have visualised his song being treated in this way but the up-tempo rhythm and the solos don't do it any harm at all.

High Society - with a difference! It was strutting merrily along, as versions of this hoary old New Orleans march invariably do and I waited without a lot of enthusiasm for the traditional, obligatory, clarinet solo - I've heard it so many times I could probably sing it backwards - if I could sing that is! Here it comes, but, hang about, he's playing soprano and not only that but Kellso's joined in and the pair of them are trading, duetting, counter-punching. They've taken this society even higher and if that wasn't enough Thomas' piano solo gives it yet another lift.

Fine and Dandy and another vocal by Gould which is fine and dandy with me. Alexander on clarinet is also fine and Kellso's solo is just dandy.

Don't Blame Me has Alexander exercising his vocal chords, Kellso blows, Alexander growls à la Pee Wee, piano strides and the leader has another go at singing. Maybe not as good as Frank but better than Nancy.

Spring is Here, a sensitive take by Gould on the Rodgers and Hart classic.

The Touch of Your Lips, a gentle swinger with the two horns working well together with piano soloing over a fast shuffling rhythm.

Rubber Plant Rag, seemingly, is an old clarinet showpiece composed by George L.Cobb in 1909 and described on the sheet music as a 'stretcherette' - the mind boggles! Alexander, Ridenhour and the rhythm boys prove they can stretcherette with the best.

Highly recommended for those who like to party to classic jazz. Lance 

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