Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 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

18818 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 682 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 20) 51.

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

August

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 27: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 27: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Stranton, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 28: Graham Hardy Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 29: Brian Jackson @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:30pm (doors). £32.00.

Sun 30: Musicians Unlimited @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Tango Jazz Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

September.

Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Saturday, April 20, 2024

Art Themen - Sold Out! - However...

If you've left it too late to get a ticket for Sunday night's JNE gig at the Globe by the great Art Themen do not despair.

It isn't the only game in town. Over on the east side of the city at Cluny 2 the Jazz Defenders are in concert.

This hard-driving band from over the border made a big impression on me when they played at Hoochie a couple of years ago. It was one of my gigs of the year in 2022 as you will gather from this review - LINK.

So you can get your Sunday night jazz fix even earlier as it's a 6:00pm start and that isn't all. If you've got a 'souped-up' 2-litre jazzmobile you could hear the Jamie Toms Quartet in Hexham at 3:00pm, Lindsay Hannon at 5:00pm in Durham, the Jazz Defenders at 6:00pm then spin a coin between Edgar Rubenis at the Pro. Bar or the Tweed River Jazzmen in Berwick at 7:00pm.

All doable but, and here's the rub, a combination of roadworks and parking problems could lead to the best laid schemes of mice and men ... Lance

2 comments :

Paul Bream said...

Hi Lance,

You're right to say that the Jazz Defenders are a fine band, but I'm not which map you're looking at when you describe them as coming from "over the border". They are in fact based in Bristol, with several of the members being long-standing leading figures on the city's jazz scene.

Lance said...

I stand corrected. It was their association with the record label Haggis Records that caused me to make this erroneous assumption.

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