Bebop Spoken There

Donovan Haffner ('Best Newcomer' 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards): ''I got into jazz the first time I picked up a saxophone!" - Jazzwise Dec 25/Jan 26

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

18146 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 24 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Jan. 7), 24

From This Moment On ...

JANUARY 2026

Sat 10: Mark Toomey Quintet @ St Peter’s Church, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:30pm. £12.00. (inc. pie & peas). Tickets from: 07749 255038.

Sun 11: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 12: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Milne Glendinning Band @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £11.00. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 13: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 15: Mark Toomey Quartet @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Free. Quartet + guest Paul Donnelly (guitar).

Fri 16: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Darlington Big Band @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 16: Leeds City Stompers @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 9:00pm. 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

Wednesday, October 09, 2024

Album review: Brian Lynch - 7x7by7 (Hollistic MusicWorks)

Brian Lynch (trumpet); Craig Handy (tenor sax); Luis Perdomo (piano); Boris Kozlov (bass); Alex Wintz (guitar); Kyle Swan (drums); Murph Aucamp (perc.)

The clue here is in the title. Seven musicians playing seven compositions and each one lasting for 7:06 minutes. Clever what?

The magical, mystical number is also used to charter his adult life by way of each track's subtitles: 7x3 equates to when he was 21, 7x4 = 28 and so on.
The individual tracks with Lynch's reflections, observations and their inspiration are listed, as they appear on the disc, below. 

In the Riv (7x3): Down to the college jazz festival in the back of  Tony King's Buick Riviera.
High Point of the Hang (7x5): Touring constantly, playing in all of the styles and with the greats. Having myself quite a time and pulling it all off (for the time being).
Sympathetic Vibrations (7x7): Taking total control of my music for the first time. And with the help of my friends achieving something lasting.
On the Silver Road (7x4): Gaining some notice on the international bandstand. A goal achieved and a place in a lineage realized.
Academy Blues (7x8): My journey into 'higher education' with its blessings and sacrifices. The real teachers are the students!
Greeting on 87th St. (7x6): At last - real love and someone to live life with fully.
Finnegan's Garden (7x9): Our beloved pooch and the beautiful backyard park he presided over during a period of confinement.

I've opted to include Brian Lynch's notes as they convey the mood to perfection. This is one occasion where the pictures painted match the titles. My one query is to wonder why they aren't laid out in chronological order? It's not important as they're all worth hearing in whatever order. The title of a legendary movie classic applies to the musicians concerned - The Magnificent Seven. Lance

Ps: Apart from Brian Lynch's knockout trumpet playing, he also produced and wrote the liner notes for Samora Joy's latest release, Portrait. Is there no limit to the man's capabilities?

Release date: Oct. 25

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