Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (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

18656 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 520 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 25) 72

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

June

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 02: De’Sean Jones & Blaque Dynamite feat. Urban Art Orchestra @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). De’Sean Jones (MD, tenor sax); Blaque Dynamite (Mike Mitchell, drums); Jamie Murray (drums) with UAO horns & strings.
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Thu 02: Howlin’ Mat @ Newcastle Arts centre. 7:30pm. Free. Acoustic

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Paul Donnelly Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: Martin Taylor @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Taylor (solo guitar).

Sat 04: Spats Langham’s Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:00-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Take the ‘A’ Train to Summertime: From Melody to Masterclass. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Kevin Eland (trumpet).
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 07: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:30pm. Free.
Tue 07: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Tue 07: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Thursday, November 07, 2024

The Classic Jazz Party: Saturday afternoon @ the Village Hotel, North Tyneside - Nov. 2

Beginning at noon, six sets in five hours required stamina. From Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake through to Bennie Moten, the packed house couldn't get enough of the world class performances produced by world class musicians from all four corners of the globe. Pianist Morten Gunnar Larsen and Spats Langham (guitar, banjo, vocals) led the way with a one hour set exploring the post-WWI partnership of composer/lyricist/vocalist Noble Sissle and ragtime composer and pianist Eubie Blake. Their set Just Wild About Noble Sissle & Eubie Blake featured an array of talent, including trumpeters Rico Tomasso and Torstein Kubban, Jean-François Bonnel in the reeds, and Harry Evans doubling on string bass and tuba. 

The Boyd Senter set looked at multi-instrumentalist Boyd Senter's twenties' output. Drummer Josh Duffee, from Davenport, Iowa, oozed enthusiasm as he led another star-studded line-up featuring French trumpet ace Malo Mazurié, American trumpet ace Jon-Erik Kellso and New Orleans' master pianist David Boeddinghaus. 

An all-too-short half hour set hit the spot - Bobby Hackett & the Singers. The hugely popular Enrico Tomasso (cornet) worked alongside CJP friends Alistair Allan (trombone), Jean-François Bonnel, Natalie Sharf and Lorenzo Baldasso (reeds), the amiable Ulf Johansson Werre (piano) and the first class rhythm section of Frenchmen Félix Hunot (banjo, guitar), Henry Lemaire (string bass) and Londoner Richard Pite (drums). And, the singer...from Paris, the amazing Nicolle Rochelle. The full house applauded long and loud. 

Vic Myers. CJP co-MD Michael McQuaid put together a set celebrating the short career of drummer Vic Myers (Myers would soon immerse himself in the world of American politics). Josh Duffee recreated the Myers' sound. 

The Guitar - Solo & in Combination featured no fewer than five guitarists. Tagged Martin Wheatley and his gang, the aforementioned Martin Wheatley shared the stage with fellow guitarists Spats Langham, Félix Hunot, Curtis Volp and Henry Lemaire. For six string enthusiasts this was an unmissable set. Bravo!

An eagerly anticipated set closed Saturday afternoon's session. Early Bennie Moten did exactly what it said on the tin. Pianist Andrew Oliver led the set. Andy Schumm (cornet), Torstein Kubban (trumpet), Charlie Halloran (trombone), Lars Frank, Richard Exall and David Horniblow (reeds) - 'stellar' is the word. Spats Langham (banjo), local hero Phil Rutherford (tuba), Richard Pite (tuba) and drum maestro Nicholas D. Ball at the heart of the all-star engine room. As the hotter than hot set came to a close, applause reverberated across the room. Wow! A restaurant table booking beckoned. The evening session would soon be upon us.   
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