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Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: '' A Love Supreme coincided with my search for meaning in life". (DownBeat, March 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

17838 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 159of them this year alone and, so far, 6 this month (March 3).

From This Moment On ...

MARCH 2025.

Mon 10: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club.

Tues 11: Solea @ Earthlings, the Healing Café, 94 Buckingham St., Newcastle, NE4 5QR. 7:00-8:45pm. Food available if ordered before 6:30pm. New band: Johannes Dalhuijsen (tenor sax, bass clarinet); Richard Herdman (guitar); Nick Bagnall (bass guitar); John Hirst (drums).
Tue 11: Giles Strong Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: The Exu + Matt Cliffe @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 13: Oh La La! @ Allendale Village Hall, Northumberland. 7:30pm. £12.00.; £6.00. child. Fifi La Mer (accordion, vocals), Oliver Wilby (reeds).
Thu 13: Fiona Finden’s Jazz Express @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 14: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Taylor @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00-2:00pm. £5.00. at the door. Second Friday in the month lunchtime concert series.
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: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Brass Funkeys + Dilutey Juice @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Oh La La! @ Edmundbyers Village Hall, Co. Durham. 7:30pm. £12.00.; £10.00. (additional £5.00. supper option, ordered in advance). Fifi La Mer (accordion, vocals), Oliver Wilby (reeds).
Fri 14: The Collective @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £8.50.
Fri 14: Bridget Metcalfe Quintet @ St George’s Venue, Park Road, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.

Sat 15: Hot Teapots @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 15: Creakin’ Bones @ Billy Bootleggers. Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: Is This Jazz? @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk. Performances by Mu Quintet, Jinjé, A Brief Utopia, John Pope & Co + André Marmot (author of Unapologetic Expression: The Inside Story of the UK Jazz Explosion) in conversation + DJ sets ‘til 3:00am. ‘A Festival of New Jazz’.
Sat 15: Vintage Explosion @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 15: Alligator Gumbo @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. £15.00.
Sat 15: One Night Standards @ The White Room, Stanley. 8:00pm. £8.67 (inc. bf). Note - previously advertised Salty Dogs cancelled.
Sat 15: Howlin’ Mat @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Blues guitar.

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

Monday, May 20, 2024

Sunday night @ the Globe: Andrea Vicari Trio - May 19

© Pam
Andrea Vicari (piano, voice); Andy Champion (bass); Russ Morgan (drums)

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying. A song from the film The Shawshank Redemption. A film I've never seen although, on the strength of the trio's take on it, I will certainly look out for it on one of those movie channels that I subscribe to and never watch. It had a sort of contemporary New Orleans' feel to it emphasised by Morgan's drumming. Great to see you back Russ. 

You Don't Know What Love is. Who does? Nevertheless, Vicari's playing with its rich chords, intriguing substitutions and a Latin tinged arrangement may well have found the answer.

© Pam
Have You Met Miss Jones? Who hasn't? It's a tune with endless possibilities. It swung and myself and the crowd loved it although Vicari's remark that 'that's got the swing out of the way' was as if to say 'now we've done the dishes we can have some fun'.

Two Vicari originals concluded the first set, both inspired by visits to Eastern Europe.

Counting Minutes, based (I think) on a visit to Montenegro, didn't quite connect with me. Maybe if I'd been to Montenegro it would have been different.

© Pam
However, I had no such reservations about Borovets. Based on a Bulgarian skiing holiday - how the jazz lifestyle has changed - this was the one. The one that ensured no one left. It had the whole nine yards. Piano, bass and drums slaloming down the piste after warning of an avalanche. Vicari adding some wordless vocal sounds along the way. Breathtaking!

After a short interval (hooray!) the second set began with Punching Out an appropriately named original that left me feeling that it was me and not Fury that had been in the ring with Usyk. I should have ducked or at least moved further away from the speakers.

Sanity returned with a beautiful version of Someone to Watch Over me.

© Pam
Even better (if that were possible) was the pianist's tribute to Chick Corea - Chickery. Piano producing runs and phrases Corea would have been proud of, Champion as amazing as he had been all night and Morgan reminding us just what we'd been missing.

The Bells of Newchurch, a pastoral piece full of delicate improvisations was followed by a Monk tune, Ba-lue Bolivar (I think) complete with an explosive drum finale. The actual finale was Aphrodite a blues that had some classic blues piano that suggested Andrea Vicari had been born in New Orleans rather Miami!

It brought a splendid evening to a close - like getting a hole in one at the 18th. Lance
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