Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18361 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 215 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 8 ), 25

From This Moment On ...

March

Sat 14: The Too Bad Jims @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20., £11.00. R&B.
Sat 14: NUJO @ Venue, Newcastle University Students’ Union. Time TBC. £15.00. supporter; £10.00. standard; £5.00. student. Seated event.

Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: The Too Bad Jims @ The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 3:00pm. £12.00. R&B.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Rebecca Poole @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Poole w. Dean Stockdale & Ken Marley. CANCELLED!

Mon 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: Russ Morgan Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Scotty Adair (drums).

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: The ’58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club, West Park, 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 18: Brand New Heavies @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 19: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Stephen Joshua Sondheim.
Thu 19: FILM: Köln 75 @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 7:30pm. £10.00., £7.00., £3.00. Dir. Ido Fluk. Fictional account of Keith Jarrett’s 1975 Köln concert. A Tyne Valley Film Festival preview screening.
Thu 19: Ransom Van @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Fri 20: Gerry Richardson Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Theon Cross + support @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £13.31., £11.16., £9.04. Support set feat. members of balletLORENT’s Creative Studio in association with NYJO.
Fri 20: Groove Crusade @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00. CANCELLED!
Fri 20: Jason Isaacs Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £32.00.
Fri 20: Joe Steels Group @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £12.00. +bf, £15.00. on the door. A Blue Patch album tour. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 20: Middlesbrough Jazz & Blues Orchestra @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ Riverdale Hall Hotel, Bellingham NE48 2JT. Tel: 01434 220254. 8:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.

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, May 28, 2025

Press release: The Glasshouse to host a major weekend of the BBC Proms

The Glasshouse – the North East’s thriving home for music – will host a major weekend of the BBC Proms this summer, led by Royal Northern Sinfonia and showcasing a bold mix of orchestral scale, pop innovation and homegrown talent 

  • Now in its fourth year, the partnership between BBC Proms and The Glasshouse has grown into a fully-formed regional festival and a national cultural moment.
  • At the heart of the weekend is Royal Northern Sinfonia, leading symphonic concerts, family favourites and one-of-a-kind collaborations.
  • The long weekend includes a major homecoming collaboration between JADE and Royal Northern Sinfonia with Robert Ames presented in partnership with BBC Radio 1, Dinis Sousa at the helm of Mendelssohn’s major choral symphony Lobgesang, and a special edition of the nightly Radio 3 jazz programme ’Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch, from The Fire Station in Sunderland.
  • This year sees The Glasshouse become the first BBC Proms venue outside of London to host TV broadcasts – a historic first for the BBC Proms.
  • Tickets for the BBC Proms at The Glasshouse are on sale now. Tickets for JADE’s one-night-only orchestral collaboration with Royal Northern Sinfonia go on sale on Wednesday 28 May at 12noon. BBC Proms in the North East returns to The Glasshouse for a bold weekend of world-class music-making for everyone. Running from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 July, the weekend sees The Glasshouse transformed into a festival hub, with symphonic works, boundary-breaking collaborations and joyful family performances. 

LISTINGS 
 
 

Thursday 24 July 2025 – The Fire Station, Sunderland 
‘Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch 
Time: 20:00 
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (deferred) 
Performers: Soweto Kinch, Theo Croker, Joe Webb Trio, Rivkala  

Friday 25 July 2025 – Sage One, The Glasshouse 
JADE & Royal Northern Sinfonia 
Time: 20:15 
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (live), BBC iPlayer/BBC TV, BBC Radio 1 Sunday 27 July, 8pm.

Performers: JADE, Robert Ames (conductor), Royal Northern Sinfonia 
 

Saturday 26 July 2025 – Sage Two, The Glasshouse

Angeline Morrison: The Sorrow Songs 
Time: 17:30 
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (live) 
Performers: Angeline Morrison + special guests Eliza Carthy and Alex Neilson 

 

Saturday 26 July 2025 – Sage One, The Glasshouse

Bach and Mendelssohn with Royal Northern Sinfonia 
Time: 19:30 
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (live), BBC iPlayer/BBC TV 
Performers: Dinis Sousa (conductor), David Fray (piano), Hera Hyesang Park (soprano), Adèle Charvet (mezzo-soprano), Benjamin Hulett (tenor), Royal Northern Sinfonia, Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia, Voices of the River’s Edge, Huddersfield Choral Society 

 

 

Sunday 27 July 2025 – Sage One, The Glasshouse

CBeebies Wildlife Jamboree  
Times: 13:30 & 16:00 
 
Performers: Royal Northern Sinfonia + CBeebies presenters Chantelle Lindsay and Puja Panchkoty. 

 

Sunday 27 July 2025 - Sage Two, The Glasshouse 
Sean Shibe and Friends 
Time: 15:00 
Broadcast: BBC Radio 3 (live) 
Performers: Sean Shibe (guitars), Alphonse Cemin (conductor), Ema Nikolovska (mezzo-soprano),  George Barton (percussion), Sam Wilson (percussion), Iris van den Bos (percussion), Adam Walker (alto flute), Emma Wernig (viola), Matthew Hunt (clarinet), Mira Benjamin (violin) and Colin Alexander (cello). 

 

There will also be a BBC Young Composer workshop in collaboration with BBC Introducing on Saturday 26 July, where under-18s can apply to take part in a composition workshop to develop their music with professional artists. For further information, visit bbc.co.uk/youngcomposer  

Standing promming tickets remain at £8. Last year, over 5,000 people attended the Proms in Gateshead, with hundreds more enjoying the free performances on the concourse. Among them, 3,500 experienced the BBC Proms for the very first time. Thousands more tuned in to national broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 through the weekend which featured 250 musicians, with over half of them from the North East. 

The Proms weekend is a major cultural moment for Newcastle Gateshead, positioning it as one of the UK’s most exciting music destinations. It builds on the momentum of recent milestones – from the MOBO Awards coming to the region earlier this year to Newcastle newly announced as host for the Mercury Prize, and stars like JADE and Sam Fender (soon to headline two sold-out NUFC stadium gigs).  

 

Sport and music are central to the North East’s identity - and with artists like Sam and JADE proudly repping the region nationally, this moment shines a spotlight on what the region has to offer. 

Recent UK Music data showed that music tourism to the North East rose by 29% in 2023 – and events like this are helping to drive that further. With The Glasshouse at the helm, the Proms weekend reflects a region on the rise. 

 

Tamsin Austin, Venue Director at The Fire Station said: “We’re thrilled to be part of the BBC Proms’ growing regional programme and to see The Fire Station showcase such extraordinary jazz talent on a national platform. From fearless international artists to rising stars from our own region, this Prom reflects what we’re all about – world-class music, great nights out and putting Sunderland on the cultural map.” 

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