Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,086 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 950 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Nov. 7) 20.

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

November

Tue 10: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Becky Tuck (vocals).
Tue 10: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 11: Plague Doctors Cure All + Noonward @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: JANE @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 12: MoonMot + Jack Banjo’s Snackwall @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 12: Ratio: Swingin’ Through the Decades @ The Forum, Darlington. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £10.00. A charity fundraiser.
Thu 12: Look Left @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £8.00.
Thu 12: Michael Woods @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Acoustic blues.

Fri 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Giles Strong (guitar); Dean Stockdale (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Fri 13: Lapwing Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Richard Herdman, Nick Bagnell, Paula Whitty.
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: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Hexham Lantern Parade, Bandstand, Sele, Hexham. 6:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Sharp Collective @ Dry Water Arts, Amble. 7:00pm.
Fri 13: East Coast Swing Band @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:30pm.
Fri 13: Guisborough Big Band @ Saltburn Golf Club. 7:30pm. Tickets: £15.00 (inc. pie & peas

Sat 14: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. £95.00. Day 1/2. SOLD OUT!
Sat 14: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 14: Pete Tanton’s Chet Set @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm (6:30pm doors). £13.20 (inc. bf); £11.00 concs (inc. bf).
Sat 14: Red Kites Jazz @ Staiths Café, Gateshead. 7:00pm.
Sat 14: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Tweed Gallery, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Sun 15: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. Day 2/2. SOLD OUT!
Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ The Waiting Room, Eaglescliffe. 7:00pm. £48.18 (to include dinner); £17.43 (concert only).
Sun 15: Sarah Gillespie & Chris Montague @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00.
Sun 15: Liane Carroll @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Solo performance. SOLD OUT!

Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Sunday, August 03, 2025

Album review: Emma Smith - Bitter Orange (LA Reserve Records)

Emma Smith (vocals); Jamie Safir (piano); Conor Chaplin (bass); Luke Tomlinson (drums)

A new album by Emma Smith is an event to celebrate and Bitter Orange is certainly one to raise a glass to. Is this her third or fourth? Who's counting? Just as I was captured by her debut album Meshuga Baby, Bitter Orange also has me ensnared.

The voice control is as perfect as I've come to expect and the unusual intervals along with phrasing that is as unique as Sinatra's make Emma Smith a voice to be reckoned with way beyond the confines of our island's shores.

Hey World, Here I am (Intro): A mere 36 seconds is not much, I know, but enough to tell me it's going to be worthwhile listening to the rest. Jule Styne composed I'm the Greatest Star for Barbra Streisand - Emma Smith also fits the description. Nobody has the recipe for Nat 'King' Cole's Frim Fram Sauce although there are a few unauthenticated ones on Google. The body count is said to be rising.

Cole Porter's Make it Another Old Fashioned, Please, originally sung by Ethel Merman in the 1940 Broadway hit Panama Hattie, and later honed to perfection by Julie London, has Emma becoming a paid-up member of that exclusive (Julie) London club. Tonight, from West Side Story, not only has Emma at her best but also reminds us just what a swinging trio Safir, Chaplin and Tomlinson are.

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered is beautiful, beguiling and breathtaking. A classic interpretation of Rodgers and Hart's masterpiece. London Pride was composed by Noel Coward and a beer of the same name is still brewed by Fullers and available via, cask, can or bottle. Although Fuller's London Pride has been known to inspire bar room baritones, Emma goes for Noel Coward's blitz inspired ballad.

What Took You so Long? An original by Emma and not to be confused with a song of the same name by Emma Bunton formerly known as 'Baby' Spice (she's now 49). Smith gets the nod on this one.

I'm in the Middle of a Muddle, composed by Mack Davis, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingstone for Disney's 1950 animated film Cinderella, it didn't make the final cut. However, Emma's version shows the Disney Studio the error of their ways. How does she manage to unearth these gems?

Funny Face segues into My Funny Valentine and back again with the verse in the middle. The overworked Rodgers and Hart classic has long needed a shake-up and Emma does just that. 

Polka Dots and Moonbeams brings this delightful album to a close. There's a launch at Ronnie's on August 6 & 7. Four shows over the two nights. Lance

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