Bebop Spoken There

David Bailey (photographer): ''When I was 16 I wanted to look like Chet Baker. He was my idol - him and James Dean.'' (Talking Pictures documentary : Four beats to the bar and no cheating April, 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

18445 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 309 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 20 ) 43,

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

April

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 22: Nubiyan Twist @ Digital, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £28.75 (inc. bf).
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 22: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 7:30pm. Date, time & admission TBC.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 23: FILM: Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 6:15pm. Dir. Robert Clem (2025).
Thu 23: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 23: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 23: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra & Musicians Unlimited @ ARC, Stockton. 8:00pm. £19.00. inc. bf.

Fri 24: Noel Dennis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. Dennis, Mark Willams, Andy Champion.
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Trio Grand @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Ben Vince + The Exu @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £14.33., £11.16, £8.00. A ‘jazz adjacent’ gig!
Fri 24: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £13.20 (inc. bf).
Fri 24: TBC @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.

Sat 25: Giles Strong Quartet @ Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. 7:30pm.
Sat 25: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf).
Sat 25: ‘Portrait in Evans’: Noa Levy & Alan Barnes w. Paul Edis Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £24.00. Sage Two. ‘Portrait in Evans’. Levy, Barnes, Edis, Andy Champion & Steve Hanley.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 26: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ni Maxine + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sun 26: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 26: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00., £7.00.

Mon 27: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: House of Blues @ the Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £7.00., £5.00. advance. A student-led jazz session. ‘House of Blues’ is, perhaps, a misnomer.
Mon 27: Littlewood Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00 + bf, £7.00. + bf.

Tue 28: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!

Saturday, September 14, 2024

Album review: Helena Debono & Charlie Bates - A Thousand Nights

When I say that there is room for improvement it has nothing to do with the music. Singer, band, soloists, arrangements are all excellent. No, my gripe is with the inside cover. The font size is so small you need 20-20 vision and perhaps some magnifying equipment from Jodrell Bank to read it.

However, now that I've got that off my chest I'll get down to the positives of which there is an abundance.

Both Helena and Charlie are alumni of NYJO and A Thousand Nights is a compelling collaboration between themselves, a big band packed with A-listers and a large orchestra, in a mix of standards and originals. 

I Could Have Danced All Night.  Band swinging like crazy with blistering alto from Marsh, trumpet by Walsh and all kicked along by Tomlinson. What a band! What a voice!

My Ideal. A beautiful take on the verse, sympathetic piano with the strings sawing away on the chorus. Cool Vice-Coles on trumpet (flugel?)

Honey. An original by the two leaders. Nice contemporary feel with some gutsy 'bone from Higham. Bass and voice gel with lots else going on behind.

A Thousand Nights. Another original from Bates & Debono. Muted trumpet from Walsh. Lyric and melody captivate. An arrangement worthy of Nelson. More piano from Charlie and an amazing vocal out-chorus from Helena.

Lullaby of Birdland. A strange arrangement with Davison growling like Cootie. In fact there is a Ducal feel to the chart, maybe a bit of Mingus, even Cab Calloway. I don't think it's quite what Shearing had in mind when he composed the piece but I'm not complaining!

I Swear. Another original. A lovely relaxed feel by both voice and piano if there's ever such a thing as the Contemporary British Songbook then this one's a frontrunner.

When. The gems keep rolling from the dynamic duo. A suggestion of big band rock with Fitch's opening blast, Blevins' sax solo and Tomlinson's offbeat driving it along.

Old Country. Nat Adderley and Curtis Lewis got together for this one and needless to say we had a trumpet solo - this time by Gorodi. Helena adds her voice to the sax chorus (I think).

The Nearness of You. Tender vocal over an orchestral accompaniment and some unexpected intervals by Helena that are spot-on. 

Think I'll be OK. I think so too! Laid back tenor from Maddock, this band is packed with soloists. Voice goes into a funkier mood.

Guess I'll Hang my Tears Out to Dry. The Sinatra/Riddle recording may be the definitive version but this one loses nothing by comparision - there's room for both.

A beautiful album, shame about the booklet. Maybe I should have gone to Specsavers first. Lance

Release date Oct. 11, 2024

Helena Debono (vocals, composer, producer); Charlie Bates (piano, composer, arranger, producer, orchestral conductor); Tom Walsh, James Davison, Luke Vice-Coles, Miguel Gorodi (trumpets); Tom Dunnett, Harry Maund*, Daniel Higham, Yusuf Norcin* (trombones); Simon Marsh, Tom Smith, Graeme Blevins, Tom Barford, Chris Maddock, Claire Shaw (reeds); Nick Fitch (guitar); Jack Tustin (bass); Luke Tomlinson (drums); Reuben Fowler (conductor) + circa 35 orchestral musicians.

* Not sure if I got the spelling right for their surnames
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