Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (DownBeat May, 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

18504 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 368 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 7 ) 22

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

May

Fri 15: Conor Emery Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Line-up Emery (trombone); Alix Shepherd (piano); John Pope (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums). SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01 adv., £15.00 on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Puppini Sisters @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. CANCELLED!

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

John Hallam with the James Birkett Trio @ Blaydon Jazz Club - Sept. 16

© Roly Veitch
John Hallam (tenor sax, baritone sax, clarinet); James Birkett (guitar); Jeremy McMurray (piano); Andy Champion (double bass)

In its 40th anniversary year, Blaydon Jazz Club extended an invitation to a long-standing friend to join in the celebrations. Travelling from west of the Pennines, John Hallam arrived in good time ready to play some jazz. Similarly, the audience arrived in good time. Clearly, we were thinking as one, ie. get there early to claim a seat! Long before the eight o'clock start most of the seats were occupied.   

Almost exactly 40 years to the day (September 13), John Hallam opened this celebratory concert with Just Friends. How appropriate! A wag whispered to your correspondent: The lad shows promise! An easy-going sort, during the evening Hallam would play no fewer than three reeds - tenor sax, baritone sax and clarinet.   
© Roly Veitch
Over the course of two marvellous sets, Hallam regularly dipped into the Great American Songbook - Duke Ellington, Walter Donaldson, George Gershwin and many others. Oh, Lady be Good! (a clarinet-double bass feature), Dream a Little Dream of Me heard Hallam on baritone sax and again on I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart. 

What is this thing called love? The familiar sound of Cole Porter, this time with Hallam on tenor, One wondered: Which is Hallam's best instrument? The answer: Whichever one he happens to be playing! Of course, it wasn't all about John Hallam. Sharing the stand with our star guest, three stars in their own right - guitarist James Birkett (truly a long-standing friend of Blaydon Jazz Club), pianist Jeremy McMurray and bassist Andy Champion, themselves friends of the longest-running jazz club on Tyneside. 

A full house here at the Black Bull, convivial company, excellent jazz, what more could anyone ask for? The man at the helm all these years - Roly Veitch - couldn't be other than delighted with the night. 

Note - next week's concert (Monday 23 Sept.) featuring Paul Booth with the Paul Edis Trio is SOLD OUT. Please do not arrive at the Black Bull without a ticket (or ticket reservation), there will be no admission without one! Russell           
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