Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 925 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 30) 104.

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

October.

Sat 31: Saltburn Big Band + Durham Alumni Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Sat 31: East Coast Swing Band @ Cramlington Village Club, Park View, Cramlington NE23 6QJ. 7:30pm. £10.00. (from venue).

November

Sun 01: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 01: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Quintet w. special guest Donna Hewitt (tenor sax, clarinet)
Sun 01: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 01: Sarah Heneghan Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 02: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 03: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. guest tba
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.
Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: An Evening of Erykah Badu @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 7:30pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Hejira - Celebrating Joni Mitchell @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Cut Capers @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors).
Thu 05: Northern Reaches @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Pete Tanton, Joe Steels, Laurence Blackadder, John Hirst.
Thu 05: Fergus McCreadie @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Fri 06: Mike Durham’s International Classic Jazz Party @ Village Hotel, West Allotment. 12 noon. Day 1/3.
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Jazz Night: Bridget Metcalfe @ Saltburn House Hotel. From 6:00pm. Tickets: £40.00 (inc. a two-course meal & glass of Prosecco). Tel: 01287 658977.

Sunday, December 15, 2024

The Len Phillips Swing Orchestra directed by Joe Pettitt from the Stables, Wavendon - Dec. 15 on Sky Arts

Joe Pettitt (MD); Russell Bennett, George Hogg, Tom Dennis, Andy Gathercole (trumpets); Jon Stokes, Chris Traves, Richard Wigley, Bob Haslin (trombones); Jon Shenoy, ? (alto sax); David Black, Michael Coates (tenor sax); Gemma Moore (baritone sax); Bunny Thompson (piano); ? (guitar); Paul Morgan (bass); ? (drums) + Gary Williams, Julia Sullivan, Nica Paris (vocals); Ben Holder (violin, vocals)*

More bells jingling all the way on Sky Arts with the Len Phillips Swing Orchestra directed by Joe Pettitt live from the Stables, Wavendon.

The singers predominated and they did the job well.

Gary Williams sang: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, White  Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Winter Wonderland where he was joined by Ben Holder and Julia Sullivan.

Julia (pictured above) sang: Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Christmas Song, I'll be Home for Christmas and duetted with Gary on The Christmas Waltz.

Ben Holder fiddled whist the band burned on The Man With the Bag and Sleigh Ride. Quite amazing - I thought he was going to saw the instrument in half! Must catch him again at a time when it's not Christmas!

Special guest Nica Paris gave us Merry Christmas Baby, which had a sizzler from Shenoy on alto, This Christmas and Silent Night. Reminded me of hearing Nica at Hoochie a few years back.

A lot of arrangers were mentioned including Callum Au, Colin Skinner and Trevor Vincent. I'm also curious to know who arranged the Swingin' Christmas Medley that merged seasonal songs with snatches of classics by Miller, Dorsey, Goodman etc. classics. It was brilliant.

Not a lot of instrumentalists were featured. Bennett and Hogg had a trumpet duet on What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? and Thompson played impressively during one of Julia's vocals.

A pleasant afternoon's viewing. I'm not sure how 'live' it actually was or if it had been recorded in front of an audience earlier but - who cares? Lance

*I didn't catch the name of the second alto, the guitarist or the drummer - he didn't look like the guy on the band's website.
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