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Bebop Spoken There

Sullivan Fortner: ''I always judge it by the bass player: If the bass player is happy, it's going to be a good night". (DownBeat, February 2025).

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

17777 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 98 of them this year alone and, so far, 23 this month (Feb.8).

From This Moment On ...

February 2025

Tue 11: Steve Summers Quintet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm.

Wed 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Jam session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Wed 12: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 12: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 13: Student Performances @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 4:00pm. Free. Inc. Olly Styles (tenor sax).
Thu 13: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: Artist Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Hannabiell & Midnight Blue.
Thu 13: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 14: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 12:30-1:30pm. £5.00. at the door. New second Friday in the month concert series.
Fri 14: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 14: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 14: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 14: Archipelago + Anna Tempest @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £8.00.
Fri 14: Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. Rhythm & blues.
Fri 14: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm.
Fri 14: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 15: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 7:30pm. £15.00. at the door; £14.35. (inc £0.35 bf) online, in advance.
Sat 15: Elkie Brooks @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm. ‘The Long Farewell Tour’.
Sat 15: Milne Glendinning Band @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 16: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 1:00-2:45pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sun 16: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 16: MOBO Awards Fringe 2025: BBC Introducing NE X MOBO Showcase @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:00pm. Free (ticketed). Line-up inc. Jambone, Knats, Rivkala, SwanNek.
Sun 16: The Shayo Experience @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 16: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 16: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A Durham University Jazz Society promotion. All welcome.

Mon 17: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 17: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

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, January 15, 2025

Lily Dior Quartet @ Burford Jazz, Warwick Hall, Burford, Oxfordshire - Jan. 10

Lily Dior (vocals); Jez Cook (guitar); Paul Jeffries (bass); Rob Bryan (drums).

The display stands for Burford Jazz promises “Top quality live jazz every month with an accent on entertainment” so let’s see if that promise is met. Lily Dior, in turn, told us that she would be singing all wonderful old standards with her twist on them, and, in fairness, she did that.

She opens with My Foolish Heart, an easy grooving intro to the night’s entertainment, with rolling mallets and glowing guitar chords, with Montgomery-ish, spring-loaded, single notes soloing from Cook. Angel Eyes, as a Latin shuffle follows. It’s mainstream jazz but Dior puts herself into it; she has a flexible voice of some corners and angles. She seems to thrive on stage as if it’s her Friday, end-of-the-week release as much as it is the audience’s. There’s a strong hint of Cleo Laine, but with less scatting.  Jeffries adds a bouncing bass solo.

Dior has definitely warmed up by the start of East of the Sun, West of the Moon’s joyful central scat section; she exchanges fours with Rob Bryan’s drums, each playing off the other. Save Your Love for Me slows the pace; it’s another easy rolling tune during which Cook pieces together another elegant, late night, smoky solo. The first set closes with a very spare You and the Night and the Music. Opening with just Lily and the guitarist; she sings the melody and Cook decorates the spaces between. A sudden stop and then the band cuts into a joyous section of be-boppery that takes us to drinks.

The second set brings a lovely relaxed, swinging warm and romantic rendition of Our Love is Here to Stay and another Latin shuffle in I’ve Got You Under My Skin. They Can’t Take That Away From Me features more of Lily’s scatting and more exchanges with the drummer who shines on his solo during a soaring and swooping, bluesy Nature Boy, all rim shots and cymbal splashes. The tempo drops again for What a Difference a Day Makes and Lily again shows her full range, holding some lovely, long notes to a pindrop silence from the audience. The A Train takes us home.

She’s not breaking any boundaries but she is an entertaining, personable singer, full of good cheer. Her voice carries the melody and her flexibility, singing from a low register to a soaring wail, captures the intent and the emotion of a song very well. The best you can say of any entertainer is that she guarantees a good night out and she and the quartet have done that. The band makes the very most of a limited musical palette which has the virtue of letting the strong soloing from all three musicians shine through. 

At half time I catch a moment with Jayne and Paul Jeffries who between them are promoting tonight’s gig. They have been going about 10 years and Burford Jazz is only one of the six strings to their bow. Their Little Live Music Company also promotes gigs in Witney, Woodstock, Thame, Cirencester and Moreton on the Marsh with a move into Maidenhead coming up. Jayne says that they do different things in different places ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­and it evolves over time. She believes that jazz should have an edge and that it comes alive in the corners. Tonight’s edge, she explains, is that the band don’t really know each other and are working things out live on stage. Paul does the music, she says (including being the bass man for tonight) and she does everything else (but don’t tell Paul she said that)!

This link for The Little Live Music Company includes links to all their venues. If you ever find yourself looking for a night out in the Cotswolds or thereabouts, it’s worth checking out. They are promoting monthly gigs at six different venues at the moment which strikes me as a lot of work. I wish them more power to their collective elbow. Dave Sayer

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

Patronising review. Your final assessment of Miss Dior's performance is just thus side of 'mansplaining'. Poor, template journalism masquerading as patronage.

Lance said...

Thank you for your comment re the above post, safely sent from behind a blanket of anonymity. That's okay, you no doubt have your reasons for maintaining your privacy and, whilst I wholly disagree with you, I will, to misquote a well-known phrase, defend to the death (or thereabouts) your right to say it.

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