Bebop Spoken There

David Bailey (photographer): ''When I was 16 I wanted to look like Chet Baker. He was my idol - him and James Dean.'' (Talking Pictures documentary : Four beats to the bar and no cheating April, 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

18445 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 309 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 20 ) 43,

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

April

Fri 24: Noel Dennis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. Dennis, Mark Willams, Andy Champion. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Trio Grand @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Ben Vince + The Exu @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £14.33., £11.16, £8.00. A ‘jazz adjacent’ gig!
Fri 24: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £13.20 (inc. bf).

Sat 25: Giles Strong Quartet @ Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Sat 25: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf).
Sat 25: ‘Portrait in Evans’: Noa Levy & Alan Barnes w. Paul Edis Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £24.00. Sage Two. ‘Portrait in Evans’. Levy, Barnes, Edis, Andy Champion & Steve Hanley.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 26: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ni Maxine + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sun 26: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 26: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00., £7.00.

Mon 27: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: House of Blues @ the Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £7.00., £5.00. advance. A student-led jazz session. ‘House of Blues’ is, perhaps, a misnomer.
Mon 27: Littlewood Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00 + bf, £7.00. + bf.

Tue 28: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:00pm. £10.00. + £1.00. bf. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Hackney Colliery Band @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. £25.00.

Thu 30: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: International Jazz Day & JANE AGM.
Thu 30: Duke Junction @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Nadim Teimoori (tenor sax); Jeff Hewer (guitar); Martin Longhawn (organ); Steve Hanley (drums). An International Jazz Day event & the 12th anniversary of Newcastle Jazz Co-op acquiring the Globe!

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

BBC Big Band: A Swinging Christmas @ the Glasshouse - Dec. 17

© Lance
Barrie Forgie (MD): Tom Dennis, Tom Walsh, Tom Tait,  Steve Fishwick  (trumpets); Kieran McLeod, Rob Harvey, Ollie Martin, Peter North (trombones); Sammy Mayne, Martin Kershaw (alto sax, flute, clarinet); Julian Siegel, Konrad Wiszniewski (tenor sax, flute, clarinet); Andy Hunter (baritone sax, flute, clarinet); Robin Aspland (piano); Ewan Hastie (bass); Tom Gordon (drums); Emer McPartland (vocals)

More Christmas fayre. The sparkly tops and the once a year jumpers were well to the fore and the ephemeral thoughts of peace and goodwill were in the air - at least for the moment. 

Those who groan at the thought of another avalanche of songs about snow should stop and listen to the actual music - in the main - they're very good tunes, at least they are when arranged by Barrie Forgie and played by the hard-hitting BBC Big Band and, if they have to have words, there's few better than Emer McPartland to sing them.

The band is rammed with top soloists and section players. When it comes to lead trumpets, Tom Walsh is right up there - and I mean right up there, the sky's the limit! Tom Tait filled it out with Steve Fishwick and Tom Dennis blowing the jazz.

The trombones (3 out of 4 pictured with big band enthusiast Tony Eales*) stood out as a perfectly harmonised section with impressive soloists.

The saxes, a dream team if ever there was one. Sammy Mayne and Martin Kershaw on altos; Julian Siegel and Konrad Wiszniewski on tenors with Andy Hunter blowing baritone. All five doubling on the usual doubles. For me, one of the highlights of an evening packed with highlights was the pairing down front of Hunter and trombonist McLeod playing Forgie's cleverly titled God Rest Ye Gerry Mulligan. Something else! McLeod, incidentally, helped me with the names and the spellings - thank you Kieran.

Piano, bass and drums - you couldn't get much better than Aspland, Hastie and Gordon. Aspland was featured on, among others, Claude Thornhill's Snowfall. A great arrangement that paid tribute to the original and One O'Clock Jump. 

Back in 2022, Hastie was justifiably crowned as the Young Jazz Musician of the Year. He plays bass left-handed and there's nothing wrong with that - some of my best friends are left-handed. 

Tom Gordon drove things along swingingly before exploding on the Sing, Sing, Sing finale. Forgie gave this Christmas credibility by mentioning Handel's Christmas oratorio The Messiah in his introduction - one Messiah to another!

Which brings me to Emer McPartland. What a great voice with an incredible range. Part West End, part jazz, the perfect mix for an evening such as this.

Knocked out! Lance

Deck the Halls; Ding Dong Merrily on High; Silent Night; Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (v); Embraceable You (v); Santa Baby (v); Winter Wonderland (v); Sleigh Ride; Snowfall; One O'Clock Jump; Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer; God Rest Ye Gerry Mulligan; Let it Snow; I've Got my Love to Keep me Warm (v); The Christmas Song (v); 'S Wonderful (v); Santa Claus is Coming to Town (v); Hot Toddy; Christmas Medley; White Christmas (v); Sing, Sing, Sing

* Photo (l-r): Kieran McLeod, Ollie Martin, Pete North, Tony Eales
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