Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 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

18818 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 682 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 20) 51.

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

August

Thu 27: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 27: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 27: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Stranton, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 28: Graham Hardy Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 29: Brian Jackson @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:30pm (doors). £32.00.

Sun 30: Musicians Unlimited @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Tango Jazz Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

September.

Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Wed 02: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 02: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 02: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Catriona Bourne @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth - May 26

© Ken Drew
Catriona Bourne (harp, flute); Francis Tulip (guitar); Sam Quintana (double bass, bass guitar); Steve Hanley (drums) 

Yamaha Music School is thriving. Classes galore, weekly concerts, Blyth town centre is on the up. This week's lunchtime concert featured Catriona Bourne. A little over 24 hours earlier, harpist Bourne was entertaining an attentive audience at the Northumberland Jazz Festival. Two gigs in two days with what could be described as her new 'up north' quartet, Bourne clearly relished working with responsive, attentive musicians, namely Leeds based Sam Quintana (bass) and Steve Hanley (drums).

© Ken Drew
Bourne and guitarist Francis Tulip would soon be heading south to their respective London homes, but first, to the final performance of the tour. Bourne informed the Blyth audience that the set list would follow the order of the tracks on her Triquetra album, bookended by two numbers from the standard repertoire for jazz harp.

Alice Coltrane's Blue Nile, performed in Blyth, who'd have thought it?! The audience loved it! And then to the album tracks - Triquetra for starters. As at Queen's Hall, Hexham, Bourne used several pedals, both conventional (as utilised on the classical concert stage) and effects (fx) for jazz performance. Francis Tulip used his pedalboard sparingly, his facility on his chosen instrument scarcely believable. And to think he's a local (County Durham) lad! 

© Ken Drew
Quintana and Hanley proved to be the 'go to' guys, their empathetic playing a delight, not least to Catriona Bourne. Forty five minutes on a Monday lunchtime makes for a tight, focused performance. Bourne suggested they might play one more, slightly exceeding the allotted time. No one was complaining , we weren't going anywhere. It came as no surprise to your reviewer that Dorothy Ashby's Games would conclude a most enjoyable programme. Marvellous. Russell 
                  
Set list: Blue Nile; Triquetra; Coronach; Sligachan Bridge; Rowan; Lannigan; Games.
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