Total Pageviews

7352485

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

17945 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 266 of them this year alone and, so far, 22 this month (April 8).

From This Moment On ...

April 2025.

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?

Thu 10: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.CANCELLED!
Thu 10: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00. A Globe fundraiser (all proceeds to the venue).
Thu 10: Exhaust: Camila Nebbia/Kit Downes/Andrew Lisle @ Jesmond URC, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. JNE.
Thu 10: Jeremy McMurray & the Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Feat. guests Ray Dales & Jackie Summers.

Fri 11: Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: John Rowland Trio: The Music of Ben Webster @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Rowland (tenor sax); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Fri 11: Imelda May @ The Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 11: Shunyata Improvisation Group @ Cullercoats Watch House. 7:30-9:00pm. Free (donations).

Sat 12: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 12: Rob Heron & the Tea Pad Orchestra + House of the Black Gardenia + King Bees @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 6:30pm (doors). £18.00.
Sat 12: Bright Street Big Band @ Washington Arts Centre. 6:30pm. £12.00. Event includes swing dance taster session, DJ dance session. Bright Street Big Band on stage 7:30-8:15pm & 8:45-9:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 12: Milne Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 12: Imelda May @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. £42.20. SOLD OUT!
Sat 12: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 13: Daniel John Martin with Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 13: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 13: Hejira: A Celebration of Joni Mitchell @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £22.50.
Sun 13: Wilkinson/Edwards/Noble + Chojnacki @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £13.20., £11.00. JNE.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Zoë Gilby Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

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 18, 2024

What do you do during the day Mr Farlow?

Jazz musicians lead lives so busy that they find it difficult to do anything other than practice, compose, arrange, travel, perform, travel and then start all over again. This leaves little time for any diversions from their dedication to the art.

Nevertheless, there have been some who have used their creative talents in different ways either before, after or concurrent with their musical activities. Here are a few:

Chris Barber. The late trombonist's other passion was motor racing and in 1957 he competed at Brands Hatch driving a Lotus Mark IX. He also owned several vintage Lagondas . Who said there was no money in jazz?

Tony Bennett. Apart from his success as a singer, Bennett, who died in July last year aged 96, also achieved a degree of international success as a painter. Many of his paintings have been exhibited at galleries around the world.

Allan Eager. One of the first white tenor players to adapt Lester Young's style to bebop, Eager frequently drifted away from the jazz scene to race automobiles, become a ski-instructor and an occasional lover of several rich women who were, seemingly, eager for Eager. 

Tal Farlow. One of the all-time great jazz guitarists - who can forget that memorable session he did with Red Norvo back in the 1980s at Gosforth (see photo)? - He frequently became disillusioned with jazz and worked as a sign writer.

Wally Fawkes. Apart from being one of the UK's finest New Orleans' style clarinettists, Fawkes, under the pen name of Trog, was regarded as one of the world's best cartoonists via the comic strip Flook which ran for many years in the Daily Mail and other newspapers and magazines.

Peter King. The greatest ever British alto saxophonist. End of story. Not quite! He also won acclaim as a builder and designer of model aeroplanes and won a few trophies along the way.

Stan Levey. Began adulthood as a pro heavyweight boxer. This must have stood him in good stead when playing drums with Stan Kenton's band. He later became a photographer.

Humphrey Lyttelton. Apart from providing the story-lines for Wally Fawkes and Flook, Humph, when he wasn't blowing trumpet with his band, wrote several books as well as broadcasting on a variety of satirical radio programmes.

Johnny Rodgers. One of the original UK boppers at the groundbreaking Club Eleven, the alto saxophonist eventually left Soho for Redcar where he became a signalman on the railways. It's said that he still blew sax in between trains.

Artie Shaw. One of the great, perhaps the greatest clarinettist of the swing era Shaw was also a deep thinker and philosopher as his autobiography, The Trouble With Cinderella reveals. He also wrote a book of short stories - I Love You, I Hate You, Drop Dead. Two of his six wives included Lana Turner and Ava Gardner which probably persuaded more American adolescent youths to take up the clarinet than any of his, or his arch rival Benny Goodman's records ever did.

So that's just a few. Feel free to add any others. However, club owners such as Ronnie Scott or Shelly Manne don't count as they're still jazz-related. Lance

5 comments :

Andrey Henkin said...

Trumpeter Eddie Henderson is a practicing psychologist.
Trumpeter Ted Daniel is a practicing social worker.
Late guitarist Ted Dunbar occasionally worked as a pharmacist and kept his license active throughout his life.
Bassist Moppa Elliott is a high school biology schoolteacher.
Saxophonist Josh Sinton works as a sommelier

Maurice Summerfield said...

Django Reinhardt was also a talented artist.. His works were displayed in several exhibitions.

Johnny Smith was a qualified pilot. He also played trumpet in the US Army Air Corps band.

Oscar Peterson was a professional standard photographer.

Hugh said...

Art Themen is a retired orthopaedic surgeon

Colin Muirhead said...

A couple of drummers are worthy of mention here. Pete La Roca Sims and Spike Wells were both lawyers. And Spike is now a priest!

Mike Farmer said...

Dave Edwards drummer who was well known to Manchester Jazz fans also flew cargo planes.

Blog Archive