Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise September, 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

18918 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 782 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 18.) 61.

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

September.

Sun 20: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 20: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.

Mon 21: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 21: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. Coltrane centenary.

Tue 22: ???

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A John Coltrane Centenary Concert (b. 23. 09. 1926). SOLD OUT!
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 24: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 24: Arun Ghosh @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £21.05. (£22.00. on the door). A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 24: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 25: Mark Williams Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Get the Blessing + Dilettante @ The Cluny (Cluny 2), Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00. + bf. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 25: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 26: Adam Fairhall & Johnny Hunter: Play Mary Lou Williams @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 26: John Pope Quintet + Urvashi @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.40. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Press release: Sunday night @ the Globe - JazzMain

© Debra M
Scotland’s innovative ‘same-personnel’ jazz quartet, blazing a trail for that rich seam of post-bop jazz, so redolent of the 50s and 60s – a time when jazz emerged from the ‘underground’ – those small, dark 'n’ smoky subterranean haunts of downtown New York, and into the big time when the West Coast ‘Cool’ post-Bop movement brought the music into the mainstream.

JazzMain remains one of the most acclaimed, renowned, and respected groups performing today and since 2003, undertaken hundreds of gigs across the UK and Ireland.

The quartet is led by acclaimed tenor saxophonist Nick Gould, with Steve Grossart (keys), Iain Harkness (electric 5-string bass) and Kevin Dorrian (drums), making up this very engaging four-piece.

The band continually breathes fresh life into the vast known and little-known Blue Note Records’ canon – the ground-breaking label long associated with the giants of the label such as Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, and Dexter Gordon.

But there’s more – there’s a soul and funky edge to the music too – Grosvenor Washington Jnr, Stevie Wonder … even Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston are given the JazzMain treatment, honed from its vast and varied repertoire.

In recent years, JazzMain has recently undertaken projects with several renowned UK Jazz stalwarts – working with the likes of guitar maestro Jim Mullen and legendary trumpet supremo Bruce Adams.

The band’s passion for its cool and bop-style jazz remains undimmed as it nears its 20th anniversary, in paying homage to some of the greatest jazz pioneers ever. Tickets (or on the door).

2 comments :

Anonymous said...

Hi Lance, thank you very much for the mention. It was great to see you and the BSH team last night. Hope to see you again soon. Best Nick Gould

Lance said...

Don't thank me Nick. That was the Globe's press release! I'm working on the review of the gig which will be posted within the next half hour.

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