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

18799 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 663 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 12) 32.

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

Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: John Settle Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. John Settle (vibes); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 14: Bold Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £8.00 + bf.

Sat 15: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 15: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £16.26.

Sun 16: Vintage Explosion @ Cliffe Park, Roker, Sunderland SR6 8DB. 5:00-10:30pm. £44.00 (inc. bf).

Mon 17: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 18: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 19: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 19: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 20: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 20: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 20: Edson Angus Quartet @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 20: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

A second decade Black Swan Jam session - May 21

Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); John Bradford (drums) + John Rowland (tenor sax); Ruth Lambert (vocals); Kate O'Neill (vocals); Bradley Johnston (guitar); Kyriaki Pantelidou (vocals); Mollie Birmingham (vocals); Stuart Turner (guitar); David Gray (trombone); Becky Tuck (vocals); Esther Coombes (alto sax, clarinet); Remi Coulthard-Boardman (vocals) 


Saturday's tenth anniversary jam session special would take some beating. Would this evening's jam session be a case of  'after the Lord Mayor's show'? The early birds duly arrived, the doors opened and the Black Swan began to fill up. Many new faces took their seats, perhaps they stumbled across Saturday's super jam during the Late Shows' culture-vulture trail (the Black Swan but one of many participating venues).
Alan Law playing piano guarantees a pulsating, swinging session. Aided and abetted by Paul Grainger and John Bradford, things were set fair. St Thomas for starters, one-nil to Mr. A. Law. John Rowland blew laid back tenor, David Gray blew 'Showtime' 'bone, joined throughout the evening by a galaxy of vocalists. Teach Me Tonight sang Ruth Lambert, one of the stars of Saturday's extravaganza. Wow! Bang on form, as usual. 

Kate O'Neill got all Misty and more, then, not In Walked Bud, but In Walked Bradley. Yes, guitarist Bradley Johnston, no less, joined the party. Fellow party-goer Kyriaki Pantelidou sang I Fall in Love Too Easily, accompanied by Joe Pass, sorry, Bradley Johnston. We hadn't seen or heard Kyriaki in a long time, time spent studying in Limerick, Ireland, accounting for her absence. A most welcome return to Tyneside. Bradley and Kyriaki hung around to make telling contributions to Manhã de Carnaval (P. Grainger and J. Bradford in sympathetic supporting roles). 

Mollie Birmingham sang as only Mollie Birmingham can, wringing out every last drop from Nature Boy then My Funny Valentine. Stuart Turner, of the Rockin' Turner Brothers, rocked up toting a Telecaster. Working alongside 'Showtime', Stuart played some knock out guitar on Don't Get Around Much Anymore and Lullaby of Birdland. Esther Coombes joined the party late (clarinet and alto sax), Becky Tuck belted out Me or Leave Me, great stuff! And then there was 'Remi CB'. That's recent graduate Remi Coulthard-Boardman singing Moondance. Boy, Remi sure can sing! We came full circle with a super-charged Ruth Lambert hollerin' Love Me Like a Man. After the Lord Mayor's show? Not a bit of it. Another excellent session, next one Tuesday June 4. Russell  

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