Bebop Spoken There

Emma Rawicz: "In a couple of years I've gone from being a normal university student to suddenly being on international stages." DownBeat January 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

18219 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 73 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 24), 73

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Fri 30: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 30: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 30: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 30: Pete Roth Trio @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). Feat. Bill Bruford.
Fri 30: Jive Aces @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Fri 30: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Northern Edge Coffee, Silver St., Berwick. 7:00pm.
Fri 30: Dan Coulthurst Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00 + £1.00. bf (www.wegottickets.com). Coulthurst (trumpet); Joel Steadman (bass clarinet, flute); Nico Widdowson (piano); Fergus Quill (double bass); Theo Goss (drums).

Sat 31: Darling Dollies @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Vocal trio.
Sat 31: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

FEBRUARY 2026

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet + guest Bill Watson (trumpet, flugelhorn).
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Annie & the Caldwells @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £25.00. adv. Gospel/soul.
Sun 01: Jive Aces @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Sun 01: Olly Styles Experience + Jenny Baker @ the Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject:Times of the Day & Trios.
Thu 05: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Special guest Emma Wilson.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

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

Saturday, August 10, 2024

Press release: Wynton Marsalis Wows Edinburgh International Festival Audiences with Secret Gig - August 10

© Maxime Ragni
Last night, the legendary American jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis made a surprise debut performance at the Edinburgh International Festival, leading an Up Late concert at the Hub, home of the International Festival. The Brazilian bandolim virtuoso Hamilton de Holanda also joined Marsalis on stage as a special guest.

The concert launches the Up Late series, a selection of special nights in the Hub where celebrated unannounced guest curators and international artists keep audiences up late and entertained into the night. This concert was filmed for Sky Arts and will be broadcast 1st October at 10pm, alongside another of Edinburgh International Festival’s Up Late concerts, broadcast on 24th September.

Wynton Marsalis is one of the world’s most renowned jazz musicians, whose performances and compositions have earned him nine Grammy Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Throughout his career spanning almost 40 years, Marsalis has recorded 127 Jazz and Classical albums. Beyond his recording career, Marsalis is currently the Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at the Lincoln Centre, the Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. Full biography here.

The next Up Late features a trailblazing force in the Celtic music scene on 16 August at 10:30pm. In addition, the charismatic drummer and composer Domo Branch has a night of original music and improvisation in store on 17 August, while Scottish illusionist Scott Silven invites us into his hypnotic world for two shows on 23 August. These intimate gigs make the most of the Hub Club Bar open ‘til 1am throughout the Festival. 

Wynton Marsalis said, “It’s an honour to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival’s first Up Late concert this year. For 77 years this festival has been spearheading the movement towards a global arts and culture. It is the gold standard, invigorating the vibrant local scene here in Edinburgh and enriching the international community. I am honoured to be here in the cause of recognising and celebrating our common humanity.”

The 77th Edinburgh International Festival continues to 25 August. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.eif.co.uk.

No comments :

Blog Archive