Bebop Spoken There

Jools Holland (on his 2026 spring/summer tour): ''With the mighty [R&B] Orchestra, our wonderful boogie woogie singers, and the brilliant Joe Webb opening the shows [including Darlington Hippodrome, June 19], we're in for some very special evenings of music.'' The Northern Echo February 5, 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

18263 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 117 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 6), 17

From This Moment On ...

February

Sat 07: The Big Easy @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. St Thomas & Bésame Mucho. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Side Cafe Oᴙkestar @ Café Under the Spire, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Table reservations: 0191 477 3970.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Swing Tyne @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Donations. Swing dance taster class (12:30pm) + Hot Club de Heaton (live performance). Non dancers welcome.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 09: Mark Williams Trio @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Jam Session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington.. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 12: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00.

Fri 13: Noel Dennis Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm . £9.00. Dennis (trumpet, flugelhorn); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Fri 13: Joe Steels @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 13: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm.
Fri 13: Tom Remon & John Moriarty @ The Ship Isis, Silksworth Row, Sunderland SR1 3QJ. 7:00pm. £10.00 + £1.00 bf.

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

Friday, July 04, 2025

Classic Swing on Cullercoats Bay - July 4

Jim McBriarty (alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet, vocals); Josh Bentham (tenor sax, soprano sax); Neville Hartley (trombone, vocals); Graham Don (piano); Alan Rudd (double bass); Ian Stocks (drums); Olive Rudd (vocals)

American Independence Day. Jazz, America's gift to the world, took centre stage here at Cullercoats Crescent Club without so much as a mention of our transatlantic cousins' 'big day'. A couple of deps in today - Josh Bentham (tenor and alto saxophones) and Graham Don (piano). Otherwise it was the regular Classic Swing outfit.

Opening, as always, with Tommy Moran's Classic Swing, it was good to see a fair few in down on Cullercoats Bay. Count Basie charts are never far from the bandstand and, imagining Jim McBriarty as Jimmy Rushing (a bit of a stretch, but hey), we heard Sent for You Yesterday. Good stuff. Olive Rudd sang the first two of several numbers - Blues Skies and (a new one for our band singer) Sweet Georgia Brown (the bass and drums boys - Alan Rudd and Ian Stocks - swinging it along). Again, good stuff.

Blue Lou worked well (Josh Bentham handling with ease a number he possibly hadn't come across before), Neville Hartley sang One Hundred Years from Today, Olive returned to sing Is It True What They Say About Dixie? and before we knew it, the half hour interval was upon us.

The familiar strains of 9:20 Special signalled the start of the second set. J. McBriarty sang Dinah, Josh Bentham played 'Johnny Cool' tenor on Beale Street Blues (the odds were he hadn't played it before, if that was the case, you wouldn't have known it) and Olive returned once more to sing Avalon. The day's other dep, pianist  Graham Don, did a grand job, shining on each and every number, not least on  Jersey Bounce. 

The three o'clock finish approached. Trombone maestro N. Hartley sang one more - A Kiss to Build a Dream On - before the outer, Olive insisting The Best Things in Life are Free. Ain't that the truth?! Russell      
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