Bebop Spoken There

Melissa Aldana: ''Having to play a ballads album, which is something very revealing for a saxophone player, would help me to question some new aspects of how to go deeper into sound." (DownBeat May, 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

18621 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 485 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 14) 37

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

June

Sat 20: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Tynedale Beer Festival, Corbridge. 5:00-6:00pm.
Sat 20: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 20: Red Kites Jazz @ Staithes Café, Dunston. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Trinity Church, Gosforth, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. NCRO w. guests Dean Stockdale & Nick Ward.

Sun 21: From Lagos to Longbenton: Unity in the Community @ Sunderland Minster. From 1:30pm. Free. A multi-bill Unity in the Community event, inc. From Lagos to Longbenton.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Trio w. Graham Hardy.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Magpies of Swing @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 22: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 23: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 24: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 25: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 25: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Forgotten Ones & Any Quintets.
Thu 25: Edgar Ho Trio @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free. Brilliant alto sax, piano & double bass trio. Unmissable!
Thu 25: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Fri 26: Finn-Keeble Group @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9:00.
Fri 26: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 26: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 26: Clark Tracey @ Live Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Newcastle Jazz Festival. £26.00. Day 1/2.

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Press release: Samara Joy - Flor de Lis (Upside Down) (Visualizer)


Five-time Grammy Award winner Samara Joy has released a new single, “Flor de Lis (Upside Down),” a fresh take on the Brazilian classic originally written by Djavan nearly 50 years ago. Sung in Portuguese and arranged by Joy’s drummer Evan Sherman, the track pays tribute to Brazil’s enduring influence on jazz, arriving just ahead of Joy’s tour dates in South America, July 27 through August 2. The “Flor de Lis (Upside Down)” cover artwork features a painting by Brazilian illustrator Anna Cunha.



“Although it’s a heartbreaking story, the poetic lyrics and beautiful melody resonated with me immediately,” says Joy. “I got the chance to sing ‘Flor de Lis’ in Rio during my first trip there over a year ago and hearing the audience join in harmony only cemented how important this song is to the fabric of Brazilian music and culture. In this new arrangement by drummer Evan Sherman with a beautiful painting as the cover by Brazilian illustrator Anna Cunha, we hope to show our appreciation for the impact that Brazilian music has on our artistry as well as the impact it continues to have on the world.”


The Bronx-born jazz sensation continues her meteoric rise with a string of major accolades and career milestones. Her latest studio album Portrait offers a snapshot of Joy’s growth since her GRAMMY Best New Artist win, not only as a once-in-a-generation vocalist but also as a lyricist and band leader. In February, she earned two more Grammys at the 67th Annual Awards, winning Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Jazz Performance, bringing her total Grammy count to five. Shortly after, she was honored with her first NAACP Image Award, crowned Outstanding Jazz Album for Portrait, which she co-produced alongside Brian Lynch. This Spring, she was a featured guest on the new season of Sesame Street and was featured in ELLE Magazine’s Women in Music issue.


For Black Music Month, Joy is featured in EBONY’s STAMPED, the second annual list of “The Headliners” shaping cultural conversation, alongside FKA Twigs, The Weeknd, Glorilla, Coco Jones and more. EBONY praises Joy’s once-in-a-generation voice, which “echoes legends yet feels entirely her own.” 


Samara Joy 2025 Tour Dates

July 31 - Sao Paolo, Brazil - Teatro Cultura Artistica

Aug. 2 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Vivo Rio

Sept. 26 - Beaverton, OR - Patricia Reser Center for the Arts

Sept. 27 - Beaverton, OR - Patricia Reser Center for the Arts

Sept. 29 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre

Oct. 1 - San Diego, CA - Humphreys Concerts by the Bay

Nov. 11 - Philadelphia, PA - Miller Theater

Nov. 14 - Carmel, IN - The Palladium

Nov. 15 - Madison, WI - Wisconsin Union Theater

Nov. 18 - Chesterfield, MO - The Factory

Nov. 19 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

Nov. 21 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitzgerald Theater

Nov. 22 - Kansas City, MO - Folly Theater

Jan. 24, 2026 - Grand Cayman - McBride’s World at Sea

May 16, 2026 - New York, NY - Geffen Hall


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