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

18482 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 346 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 30 ) 80

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

May

Sat 02: Midnite Follies Orchestra @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £20.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club. All-star line-up.
Sat 02: Knats Masterclass & Jam II @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 1:00-3:00pm. £15.00.
Sat 02: Shannon Pearl + John Pope & John Garner @ Langley Tracks, Langley on Tyne NE47 5LA. 5:30pm (doors). £15.00. + £1.50. bf. ‘Witch-pop’ + Pope & Garner.
Sat 02: Knats + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sat 02: Midnite Special @ Station East, Gateshead. 7:30pm. Free. A Lonnie Donegan ‘King of Skiffle’ celebration.
Sat 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 03: Chilcott Jazz Mass @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 9:30am. Free. Sung communion with Parish Choir (featuring Bob Chilcott’s music). A Jesmond Community Festival event.
Sun 03: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 03: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Mark Toomey (alto sax).
Sun 03: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 03: Tom Waits for No Man @ Oxygenic, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm (2:30pm doors). Neckties and Boxing Gloves album launch. £14.00 (gig & a CD); £8.00 (gig only). SOLD OUT!
Sun 03: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76.
Sun 03: John Pope & John Garner @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00.

Mon 04: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: Pete Tanton’s Cuban Heels @ The Library, South Parade, Whitley Bay. 4:00-6:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 05: Leah Kirk (voice): Final Year Music Recital @ The Band Room, Music Studios, Assembly Lane, Newcastle University. 2:30pm. Free, open to the public.
Tue 05: Jenny Baker (voice): Final Year Music Recital @ The Band Room, Music Studios, Assembly Lane, Newcastle University. 4:20pm. Free, open to the public.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 07: Robert Finley @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50. Excellent US falsetto soul/blues voice.
Thu 07: ALT @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Alan Law, Paul Grainger, Rob Walker. Thu 07: Liam & Shayo @ The Globe , Newcastle. 8:00pm. £5.00. Liam Oliver (guitar), Shayo Oshodi (vocals).
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 08: Alan Law Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Law, Mick Shoulder, John Bradford.
Fri 08: Giles Strong & Richard Herdman @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Guitar duo.
Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Milne Glendinning Band @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 6:00pm . Free. A Late Shows event.
Fri 08: Nigel Kennedy @ The Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Line-up inc. Alec Dankworth.

Monday, January 20, 2025

Sunday night @ the Globe: Freight Train Jazz Meets Folk - Jan. 19

© Ken Drew
Christine Tobin (voice); Liam Noble (piano, synth); Paul Clarvis (drums)

An interesting, unusual and not unpleasant gig by a trio that did what it said on the tin as well as injecting a few sub-genres. Tobin has a pleasing voice that is equally suited to the varied material presented be it blues, swing, jazz, contemporary pop or Irish traditional folk - the list is endless.

The strange part of the equation was the seamless joining of the songs, done three at a time with little or no space in between for the applause they deserved.

© Ken Drew
Gimme a Pigfoot (and a bottle of Beer) segued into Freight Train followed by The Old Church Yard painting a scenario of someone hoboing from a party in Harlem to the sombre memory of a departed soul in Dublin (or thereabouts). Churchyards are popular venues in both blues and folk songs.

Another Bessie Smith item, Young Woman's Blues, opened the next triad that also had What Will we do When we Have no Money? and I'm Gonna Take it With me When I Go (Tom Waits was still hanging out in Newcastle!)

The Isle of Innisfree, Just an Old Man and yet more Tom Waits with Innocent When You Dream.

That closed the first set and every one in the room seemed happy. Apart from Christine's pristine performance, there was some amazing brushwork from Paul Clarvis - he could also out-smile Steve Brown! Liam Noble did some amazing things on piano ranging from stride to complex harmonies verging on the avant garde.

Noble and Clarvis opened the second set with an instrumental take on Whispering that became Groovin' High and had both piano and drums going for the track record!

© Ken Drew
Tobin returned for Carole King's You've Got A Friend followed by a blast on that good old jazz classic There'll be Some Changes Made. Special mention again for Noble and Clarvis who had some tasty exchanges. Paul Simon's I do it for Your Love with that clever rhyming of tears and hemispheres was another vocal highspot.

Mose Allison's Was was sung by Christine before another instrumental - the Beatles' Love me do - had the duo once more in the virtual spotlight. Those pesky Beatles' Blackbird was given the vocal treatment before Cathy Jordan's Incurraghroe took her back to her homeland. A Moondog couplet (Marie Cherie?) and Johnny Cash's The Beast in me took us to the grand finale - an uptempo version of You go to my Head that went to everyone's head as singer scatted, piano and drums pianoed and drummed and the audience applauded albeit no one shouted 'more'. And why should they? Nothing could follow that! Lance 
at

1 comment :

Anonymous said...

I suspect the Moondog tune is 'Paris'. Liam Noble and Paul Clarvis did this on their first album. It contains the lines -
Paris, Paris
Mais oui, mon petit
Mais oui, mon petit, Paris
Paris, Paris
Mais oui, mon chérie
Mais oui, mon chérie, Paris
When I'm walking down the avenue
I'm as high as Eiffel is to you

Saturday, January 25, 2025 3:53:00 PM

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