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

18445 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 309 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 20 ) 43,

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

April

Thu 23: FILM: Big Mama Thornton: I Can’t Be Anyone But Me @ Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. 6:15pm. Dir. Robert Clem (2025).
Thu 23: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 23: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 23: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra & Musicians Unlimited @ ARC, Stockton. 8:00pm. £19.00. inc. bf.

Fri 24: Noel Dennis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. Dennis, Mark Willams, Andy Champion. SOLD OUT!
Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Trio Grand @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 24: Ben Vince + The Exu @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £14.33., £11.16, £8.00. A ‘jazz adjacent’ gig!
Fri 24: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £13.20 (inc. bf).
Fri 24: TBC @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.

Sat 25: Giles Strong Quartet @ Hindmarsh Hall, Alnmouth. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Sat 25: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf).
Sat 25: ‘Portrait in Evans’: Noa Levy & Alan Barnes w. Paul Edis Trio @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £24.00. Sage Two. ‘Portrait in Evans’. Levy, Barnes, Edis, Andy Champion & Steve Hanley.

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited: Big Band Blast @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00-3:00pm . Free.
Sun 26: Daniel John Martin w. Swing Manouche @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: Ni Maxine + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Sun 26: Joe Steels @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. Free (donations direct to the musicians). Joe Steels & Friends.
Sun 26: C.A.L.I.E @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00., £7.00.

Mon 27: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 27: House of Blues @ the Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £7.00., £5.00. advance. A student-led jazz session. ‘House of Blues’ is, perhaps, a misnomer.
Mon 27: Littlewood Trio @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00 + bf, £7.00. + bf.

Tue 28: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: Long/Remon/Zilker @ The Ship Isis, Sunderland. 7:00pm. £10.00. + £1.00. bf. Tom Remon plays Irish folk!
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Hackney Colliery Band @ Alnwick Playhouse. 7:30pm. £25.00.

Friday, July 25, 2025

BBC Proms: 'Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch @ the Fire Station, Sunderland - July 24


It's not every gig that I get to sit next to the city's mayor and mayoress and even rarer when the aforementioned dignitaries, in this case Sunderland's Councillor Ehthesham Haque and Councillor Lynda Scanlan, shake my hand. 

This was one of those occasions of being in the right place at the right time. The mayoral couple sat to my left whilst, to my right was north east folk legend Alistair Anderson. As I was, so to speak, piggy in the middle, after they had shaken hands, noblesse oblige dictated mine too was shaken.

The occasion, at Sunderland's cultural venue the Fire Station, was an 'out of town' BBC Prom presented in conjunction with Soweto Kinch's late night Radio 3 jazz show 'Round Midnight.

Headlining the two hour long, three act, no interval, concert was:

Theo Croker (electronics, trumpet, vocals );   Idris Frederick (piano, keys); Eric Wheeler (bass); Jeremiah Collier (drums) + Soweto Kinch (tenor sax).

I'd caught Croker live at the Glasshouse last year so I knew that once the electronic chicanery had been reduced to a minimum I'd hear some fine trumpet playing as well as some dynamic drumming, boss bass playing from an instrument that, sizewise, could have been a cello and keyboard wizardry on both the grand and the 'lecky'.  As a bonus, linkman Kinch sat in and blew some tenor. 

Programme included some or all of the following: 4KNOWLEDGE; Amen Waters; 64 Joints; one pillow; prelude 3; Hero Stomp. 

Soweto also had a blast with the Joe Webb Trio:
Joe Webb Trio: Joe Webb (piano); Will Sach (double bass); Kai MacRae (drums) + Soweto Kinch (tenor sax)

This was ostensibly a tribute to Oscar Peterson although, apart from the opener, it could have been a tribute to any pianist from Scott Joplin to Keith Jarrett as seen through the eyes of Oscar. Such is the talent of Webb that no challenge is too great. Engaging banter between Joe and Soweto on a variety of topics some of which wouldn't have been out of place across the river at the Stadium of Light was good fun. Oh yes and special mention of Sach whose first solo of the night drew the first round of applause. Kai MacRae was a new name to me. He slotted in well.

Programme: Noreen's Nocturne (comp. O. Peterson); Like Sach; Goal Mouth Scramble; Correze; Oscar.
 
Rivkala: Rivkala (vocals); Faye MacCalman (tenor sax, clarinet); Ben Lawrence (piano, keyboards); Luke Elgie (bass guitar); Mark Johnson (drums)

The Lord Mayor's show (literally) began with what Rivkala described as depicting a cabaret club at midnight. Authentically attired in a slinky black dress la chanteuse presented a selection of songs from her recent album Crushed Velvet. Ably supported by MacCalman on tenor and clarinet, Lawrence on keys/piano, along with Elgie and Johnson on bass and drums it was a good set that projected the singer's stagecraft to perfection.

Programme included some or all of the following: My Face; Zip Lock Teeth; Crawl; Chess; Costume Party; Pedestal; Losing Horses.

Jambone: Jason Holcomb (MD, trombone) & ensemble

Earlier the Glasshouse based youth band Jambone, led by Jason Holcomb, gave a spirited performance that crossed the decades with a varied programme that included St. Louis Blues and Tuxedo Junction alongside more contemporary numbers. I also got to shake hands with Tom, a member of the BBC production team. I was moving amongst high society tonight the only one missing was Régis le Bris!

Quite a memorable evening*. Lance

*Last night's concert will be broadcast tonight (Friday) on Soweto's extended Radio 3 'Round Midnight programme (starting at 11:00pm). 

at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive