Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Thu 12: Boomslang @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 12: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Mill Tavern, Hebburn. 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 13: Paul Skerritt Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00.
Fri 13: The SH#RP Collective @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Soothsayers + Rookie Numbers @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: The ’58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club, West Park, 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 18: Brand New Heavies @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

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

Tuesday, September 03, 2024

NYC jazz notes (3)

Day two in the Big Apple. It was 30° and getting hotter. A day to wander, to wander leisurely, taking in the sights and sounds of this wonderous metropolis. Beep! Beep! Toot! Beep! NYPD sirens, ambulances ('private', better make sure you got cover, buddy), fire trucks, one glorious cacophonous symphony. First stop Penn Station on 42nd St. 

Tyne and Wear's Metro system ain't got nothin' on this! A cavernous, cathedral-like space, thousands making their way to who knows where. We were making our way to nowhere in particular. Macy's? Yeah, why not? Think Fenwick's multiplied by 10. NYC's equivalent of the 'blue plaque' popped up here and there. On the street at Macy's, the site of Edison's claim in 1896 to the 'FIRST PROJECTED MOVING IMAGE'. Over in Paris the Lumière brothers no doubt countered, beating the American to it a year earlier (1895). The debate continues...

Standing on the corner of Joe Louis Plaza, there it was...Madison Square Garden. Fight fans will know all about the classic bouts...Rocky Marciano v. Joe Louis (1951), Ali v. Frasier (1971) and many more. Duckin' 'n' divin' we made our way to the Jazz Record Center. You need to know where this place is or you'll never find it. Thanks to BSH Editor-in-Chief, LL for his tip-off (LL had visited the place back in the day), we pressed the buzzer (#804) at 236 West 26 St. The intercom crackled, no one spoke. We pushed open the door and walked into the lobby. The janitor said: Don't take that elevator ('staff only'), take that one to the 8th floor. Would it stop on the 6th floor? Would Bogie or Cagney get in? Perhaps casting a nervous glance over their shoulder as they did so. Disappointingly, neither were in the building.

The Jazz Record Center should come with a 'wealth' warning. Like a kid in a candy store ('candy store' not 'sweet shop'), eyes feasted on 'must have' items, they were everywhere. This ain't your shiny high street store, no way. Think dusty or not-so-dusty store room with vinyl, CDs, books, magazines, the works, piled floor to ceiling. Excitedly we said: We're from England, Newcastle upon Tyne. Our New Yorker replied: Oh, yeah. Well, if he wasn't impressed, we were! A few dollars lighter, we hit the street. It would soon be time to head down to the East Village for gig no.2. Russell

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