Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 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

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

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

Monday, June 16, 2025

R.I.P. Dill Katz

Dill Katz, former bass guitarist who played with, among others, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia, District Six and Nucleus, passed away on June 13.

I recall seeing Nucleus on several occasions but I can't recall if Dill was with the band on any of the gigs. I took some photos at one of them and I wonder if Dill was in the band at the time.

In this photo the bass player wears a hooped sweater (horizontal stripes) and I've seen a photo of Paraphernalia where Dill is wearing a similar top which might be a clue.

Whether 'tis he on the photo or not doesn't change the fact that he was a great musician and by all accounts a lovely guy who will be sadly missed.

Dill Katz was 79 when he left us. May he Rest In Peace. Lance

4 comments :

Hugh said...

Sad news indeed. I saw Dill Katz with "Paraphernalia" back in the late seventies/early eighties. I saw him again with "District Six" at Washington (D.C.) Arts Centre - ironically at around the time Washington exchanged numbered "Districts" for named communities.

I remember Dill at the back of the band - his stage persona was indeed that of an extremely cool cat!

Rob Adams said...

It was good to see BSH marking Dill Katz's passing. I can solve one mystery of the photo for you. The bass guitarist is Chucho Merchan, who went on to play with Sunwind and the Eurythmics.

Dill did play with Nucleus in Newcastle, in 1987 (May, I think), so if you have any photos of that gig, he'll maybe be in them. I can't remember the name of the venue but it was a theatre.

I'm not sure about the rest of the band in the photo. Ian Carr (obviously) is on trumpet and NIc France is on drums. Might be Brian Smith on sax. Geoff Castle was the keyboardist in the band at the time Chucho and Nic were there, so that might be him.

I think of Dill every time I have Singapore noodles because he introduced me to them.

Hugh said...

Oops! D.C. (obviously) in this case means Durham County...

Peter Bevan said...

Nucleus also appeared at Darlington Arts Centre on 13 May 1987 with Phil Todd, Mark Wood, John Marshall and Dill; presumably the same tour and line-up as the Newcastle date.

Dill may also have appeared at Darlington Arts Centre on 19 February 1986 with Munch Manship; on 5 March 1986 with District 6; 26 March 1986 with Gary Boyle and John Etheridge and finally here with again with District 6 on 11 March 1987.

I also saw him with the Ian Carr Group at the Corner House, Newcastle on 6 October 1991 (when the Jazz North East commission North East Song lines was performed). My notes show the line up was similar to the 1987 date but I wonder now if that was likely.

There's a single track (For Miles and Miles) from that Corner House concert on the CD that comes with Roger Farbey's annotated discography of Ian Carr, Elastic Dream.

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