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

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.

Thu 19: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Stephen Joshua Sondheim.
Thu 19: FILM: Köln 75 @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 7:30pm. £10.00., £7.00., £3.00. Dir. Ido Fluk. Fictional account of Keith Jarrett’s 1975 Köln concert. A Tyne Valley Film Festival preview screening.
Thu 19: Ransom Van @ The Black Swan, 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, November 12, 2024

The Classic Jazz Party: Sunday evening @ the Village Hotel, North Tyneside - Nov. 3

A long and hugely enjoyable weekend was approaching its end. From Thursday evening's Welcome Concert, a film show, three afternoon sessions, three evening sessions (this Sunday evening session the third of them) and three late night jam sessions, the Village Hotel on North Tyneside reverberated to the sounds of the 'classic jazz' era. 

Musicianship of the highest order, packed houses hanging on every note, there isn't really anything quite like the Classic Jazz Party. A third and final Piano Professor half hour took on a slightly different look when pianist Andrew Oliver was joined by drummer Nicholas D. Ball. A terrific thirty minutes. An Evening in Town transported the full house to London's nightspots of a century ago. The capital's many resident bands of the time entertained revellers looking for a good time. Martin Wheatley (banjo, guitar) presented an overview of the music and the musicians making a living playing in the dance bands and jazz clubs a century ago. 

The Classic Jazz Party is truly international. Musicians and audience travel from all over the world to meet up here on North Tyneside. One of the CJP's virtuoso musicians had a somewhat less arduous journey than most, making the short trip up the A19 from County Durham, Emma Fisk. Leading a Grappelli/Reinhardt Hot Club set - Quintette du Hot Club de Village Hotel - violinist Fisk swung a la S. Grappelli, Curtis VolpFélix Hunot and Spats Langham taking it in turn to pay homage to Django. Très bon!

Harry Evans (string bass, tuba) led an all-star ensemble in the penultimate set of this year's CJP. Born to Swing - Lil Armstrong in the 1930s featured - who else? - Nicolle Rochelle. One of the hits of the weekend, Ms Rochelle was accompanied by CJP debutant pianist Ulf Johansson Werre and a supporting cast including Malo Mazurié (trumpet), Natalie Scharf (reeds) and Londoner, drummer Richard Pite. If you happen to be in Paris when N. Rochelle is in concert, don't hesitate, book a front row seat.

And so to the grand finale. In recent times the Big Band Battle has become something of a tradition. Seriously good jazz, friendly but competitive, smiling faces on stage and off, let's go! First up, Luis Russell! Led by the man from Davenport, Iowa, drummer Josh Duffee, the Russell outfit went for it. Chicagoan Andy Schumm (cornet), New Yorker Jo-Erik Kellso (trumpet), Charlie Halloran (trombone), Lars FrankLorenzo BaldassoNatalie Scharf (reeds), Ulf Johansson Werre (piano) and the French rhythm kings Félix Hunot (banjo, guitar) and Henry Lemaire (string bass) alongside J. Duffee, the gauntlet well and truly thrown down. Members of the Russell band taunted their rivals:  Hey, Tomasso, let's see what ya got?! 

Did British trumpet ace Rico Tomasso and co have what it takes?! Pugnacious Tomasso came out slugging. After all, this was Duke Ellington! The heavyweight outfit fought back, they weren't reeling on the ropes, they were Rockin'
 in RhythmMike DavisMalo Mazurié (trumpets), Alistair Allan and Graham Hughes the 'bones, Jean-François BonnelDavid HorniblowRichard Exall (reeds), heavyweights, indeed. The Crescent City's David Boeddinghaus (piano), the Brits Curtis Volp (banjo, guitar), Harry Evans (tuba, string bass) and Nicholas D. Ball (drums). And there to potentially deliver a knockout blow, singer extraordinaire Nicolle Rochelle

Who won? Who cares? Ellington? On points. All great fun. And so to the bar for the third and final late night jam session of the 2024 edition of the Classic Jazz Party. It promised to be an epic occasion.  

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