Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey (to Terence Blanchard): ''You ain't Miles find your own shit to do!'' (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

18532 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 396 of them this year alone and, so far this month (May 15) 50

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

May

Sat 16: Sing Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Alexia Gardner. God Bless the Child - Lady Day!. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 16: Kaberry Big Band @ the Seahorse Pub, Hillheads Rd., Whitley Bay NE23 8HR. From 7:30pm. £15.00
Sat 16: Lady Nade @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. ‘Lady Nade sings Nina Simone’.

Sun 17: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Forum Theatre, Billingham. 7:30pm.
Sun 17: QOW Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Spike Wells, Riley Stone-Lonergan & Eddie Myer.

Mon 18: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: Mark Williams Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 19: GoGo Penguin + Daudi Matsiko @ Wylam Brewery, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £22.00 + £4.40 bf.
Tue 19: Danny Lowndes’ Hot Club @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £15.00 + £5.00 bf.
Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Mark Robertson (drums).

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Jordan Jackson @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.80 (inc. bf); £15.40 (inc. bf).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Jazz Classics with Rivkala @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Rivkala (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 21: 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 22: Paul Skerritt @ Market Place, Durham. From 12 noon. Free. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 22: Paul Edis Trio @ St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £TBC. Edis, Andy Champion, Steve Hanley.

Monday, September 01, 2025

Sunday night @ the Globe: Alexia Gardner Trio - August 31

© Sheila Herrick
Alexia Gardner (vocals); Alan Law (piano); Jude Murphy (bass, backing vocals)

The Globe was packed, and why not? Concerts don't come much - if any - better than one by Alexia and her two (or four) confederates. 

Opening with Cheek to Cheek we were indeed in Heaven and with a new dimension - rap! Lots of local references had the audience on her side. It Might as Well be Spring; I Got Rhythm and a delightful The Nearness of You, with Jude's bass solo particularly impressive followed, leading to Devil May Care and some inside information on a future event.

The trio were all wearing Scarborough Jazz Festival t-shirts ahead of their appearance at said festival later this month where, with Abbie and Harry added to make it a quintet, the concert will be recorded live - watch this space.

Lady is a Tramp, complete with verse, swung merrily along before the last day of summer was 'celebrated' with that song.

The set closed with Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry which added an exotic touch to the proceedings. 

Topped up my Diet Coke, exchanged pleasantries, then the second set was upon us.

Hallelujah I Just Love Him so; The Way You Look Tonight - no shortage of 'breathless charm' when Alexia's at the helm - Mo Better Blues with an arco intro from Jude and One Note Samba transported us to Brazil albeit in English.

Ben E. King's Stand by me would probably have upset the purists had there been any. As it was it went down well as did What a Wonderful World with the lyrics cleverly worked to compare the north east with London which, needless to say was greeted enthusiastically. No doubt our girl has an alternative version for Ronnie's or Pizza. 

An unaccompanied take on Bob Dylan's Forever You demonstrated just how beautiful her voice was before a song that was new to me - Get Here. The song lists ways of reaching the singer i.e by railway, trailway, airplane, caravan in fact everything but the 27 bus!

That was supposed to be it. The audience had different ideas so, by popular demand they went out on Marley's Jammin'.

A great gig and not forgetting the tremendous backing and solos from Alan and Jude. 

Next Sunday, as announced, it's the Ben Shankĺand Trio - all winners or finalists at the BBC's Young Jazz Musician of the Year awards. Lance

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