Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 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

18336 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 190 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Feb. 28), 90

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 03: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Jacob Egglestone (guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass); Bailey Rudd (drums).

Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 05: Trumpet quartet @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free. Quartet inc. Dick Stacey (SSBB). Programme inc. Basie’s Panassié Stomp + Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho.
Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Celebrate - Commonwealth Day.
Thu 05: Flo/ra + Maya Kally @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £16.45., £13.28., £12.22., £9:04.
Thu 05: Salty Dog @ @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 06: EXHIBITION: Images of Jazz @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. Visual artist Dave Barden exhibiting works in Gallery Two (10:00am-4:00pm Mon to Sat, closing May 30).
Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free. Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Market Place, Blyth NE24 1BQ. 5:00pm, 6:00pm & 7:30pm. Free. A ‘Festival of Energy’ event.
Fri 06: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Fri 06: Brass Funkeys + support @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £17.51., £14.33., £11.16.
Fri 06: Vintage Explosion @ Whitley Bay Playhouse. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 06: Flat Moon + Spilt Milk @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £10.00.
Fri 06: Giles Strong Quartet @ Old Cinema Launderette, Durham. 7:45pm (7:00pm doors). £16.50.
Fri 06: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 8:00pm. Musicians Unlimited (in concert). £10.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 1/3.

Sat 07: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 12 noon. Open Section (all day, closing concert performance at 7:00pm). £15.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 2/3.
Sat 07: Tenement Jazz Band @ 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. Antônio Carlos Jobim: Meditation & How Insensitive. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free. Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St Mary’s Parish Hall, Barnard Castle. 7:00pm. £20.00., £8.00 under 16. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 07: Taupe + Marigolds + Mother Man @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 08: Great North Big Band Jazz Festival @ Park View Community Centre, Chester-le-Street. 9:30am. School Section & Youth Section (all day). £10.00. (£20.00 weekend ticket). Day 3/3.
Sun 08: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: TRIO-SKW @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Josh Savage (drums); Lucas Kelly (organ); Tim ‘Bim’ Williams (guitar).
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Trish Clowes’ My Iris @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 08: Durham University Big Band & Foot Notes @ Elvet Methodist Church, Durham. 7:30pm. £10.00., £8.00., £6.00. Big band & a cappella ensemble.

Mon 09: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

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, October 24, 2025

Joe Webb Trio @ Le Duc des Lombards, Paris - Oct 22

© Patti
Joe Webb (piano); Will Sach (double bass); Kai MacRae (drums) + Adrian Cox (clarinet)

EasyJet, NCL to Charles de Gaulle, convenient flight times, affordable. Let's go! Landing more or less on time, navigating the CDG metropolis - terminal to terminal to train station - proved to be straightforward. 

Arriving Gare du Nord, l'hôtel (When in France!), ideally situated across the road, reeked of 2* luxury. No time to waste, Métro to Chatelet, our final destination one of the French capital's finest jazz clubs. 

Le Duc des Lombards took some finding! Chet Baker singing Let's Get Lost the soundtrack to our wanderings. Stumbling upon Sunset Sunside (another renowned jazz spot) it was time to ask someone the way. Merci! And off we went, wandering around in circles - again. 

Sometime later...There it is! As we walked through the door, three others followed, a voice from behind saying: Long time, no see.* Once inside, the first face we saw was the man himself - Mr Joe Webb. Hugs, our man was surprised to see us! Taking our seats to the side of the venue's Yamaha piano, the lights would soon be dimmed, but not before your correspondent ordered 'deux bière'. 

Le Duc des Lombard's MC, situated somewhere (unseen) in the room, made the introductions: Á la batterie...Kai MacRae (cue applause). Contrabass...Will Sach (more applause), au piano, Joe Webb (a crescendo of applause). A week ago Joe was in Newcastle doing his thing as a Mercury Award nominee (home town favourite Sam Fender taking the spoils), this evening Paris and, next week...Newcastle**

In a set of some 75 minutes, the Joe Webb Trio would knock 'em dead. From an extended, explorative Cheek to Cheek to cuts from Hamstrings & Hurricanes (including 100 Years of Bill & Lil and Newcastle Full Feel), to James P (comp. J. Webb) to Myfanwy (Joe acknowledging his Welsh roots), the musicianship was of the highest order - that's Webb, long time friend Will Sach (double bass) and young, hot shot drummer Kai MacRae.

© Patti
And if that wasn't enough, Joe Webb's special guest for the evening was none other than clarinet virtuoso Adrian Cox. How lucky were we?! Webb and Cox took Just You Just Me to the cleaners and back again. Those who heard Cox on his recent tour of the BSH region will have a good idea of the 'eyeballs out' intensity of their performance. Très bon! 

Webb's Oscar, and frequently dazzling Tatumesque piano playing throughout the set, left his Parisian audience in no doubt whatsoever they were listening to one of the foremost pianists of his generation.

* Less than 48 hours earlier at Blaydon Jazz Club (the final date of their tour of the north east of England), we said goodbye to Adrian Cox, Honey Boulton and Alex Gilson. And here they were here in Paris to catch the Joe Webb Trio in concert. Small world. 

** Joe Webb will be appearing at a sold out event at Bonners (Kingston Park, Newcastle) on Thursday 30 October. Russell
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