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!

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

An autumnal Black Swan jam session - Sept. 17

Joe Steels (guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums, trumpet) + Harry Keeble (tenor sax, piano); Bailey Rudd (drums); Theo Nolan (piano); Paul Ruddick (alto sax); Shivan Ruddick (trumpet); Liam Oliver (guitar); Dan Potter (drums); John Weaver (trumpet); Steve Summers (tenor sax); Esther Coombes (tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet); Hugh ? (drums); Carrie McCullock (vocals); ? (vocals); Owen Jones (double bass); Jamie Watkins (double bass); Shayo (vocals); Kath Butcher (vocals); Haaroun Miller (alto sax, tenor sax); Joe ? (drums); Oscar Nolan (vocals); Edgar Bell (trumpet) 

The house trio playing Cole Porter's Everything I Love opened the show followed by Bird's My Little Suede Shoes, things were going well. The Black Swan was busy, noticeably so. An unusually early change of personnel saw drummer Abbie Finn stepping down, Bailey Rudd a more than able dep. Hmm...

Harry Keeble called Naima. Now, this was the business! Finn returned with trumpet in hand. What's going on? Sure enough, award-winning drummer-turned-trumpeter, Abbie Finn plucked up the courage to play The Lady is a Tramp. Well, what do you know?! Session leader Joe Steels took five and, with Theo Nolan sitting-in on piano, Keeble (tenor sax) and Finn (trumpet) played Vernon Duke's Autumn in New York. Well, well, well...

In between Strictly Smokin' Big Band engagements, Steve Summers (tenor sax) popped in for a blow.* The Ruddicks were in the house. Manhã de Carnaval the selection. Ruddick Snr the established name, Ruddick Jr (that's trumpeter Shivan) fast coming up on the rails. Impressive. And another trumpeter...John Weaver. A regular at the Tannery jam session, it was good to see John making the trip from Hexham. Dan Potter was around, he would soon be behind the traps, Jamie Watkins, known primarily as an electric bass player, got to grips with MC Paul Grainger's double bass, and alongside Esther Coombes (reeds) they blazed a trail on Mr PC. 

Owen Jones (double bass) joined the party, a prowling Haaroun Miller (alto sax, tenor sax) grabbed a piece of the action, ditto Edgar Bell (trumpet). Vocalists Carrie McCullock, Oscar Nolan and others punctuated the instrumental flow, in other words, a typical night at the Black Swan jam session. As is the tradition, all horns left standing assembled for the grand finale. Directed by P. Grainger, the horns blew and blew and blew...

* The Strictly Smokin' Big Band with special guest Emma Smith will be at the Common Room (next door to the Lit & Phil) on Sunday 29 September (5:00pm). Book now: www.strictly-smokin.co.uk. Tickets are going fast! Russell
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1 comment :

Anonymous said...

Hugh Whitby, drums

Wednesday, September 18, 2024 11:34:00 am

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