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

18656 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 520 of them this year alone and, so far this month (June 25) 72

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

Tue 30: Alan Law Trio @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Eva Fox & the Sound Hounds @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

July

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 02: De’Sean Jones & Blaque Dynamite feat. Urban Art Orchestra @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). De’Sean Jones (MD, tenor sax); Blaque Dynamite (Mike Mitchell, drums); Jamie Murray (drums) with UAO horns & strings.
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.
Thu 02: Howlin’ Mat @ Newcastle Arts centre. 7:30pm. Free. Acoustic

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: Paul Donnelly Quartet @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: Martin Taylor @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. Taylor (solo guitar).

Sat 04: Spats Langham’s Hot Fingers @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:00-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Take the ‘A’ Train to Summertime: From Melody to Masterclass. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Kevin Eland (trumpet).
Sun 05: Michael Woods @ Cycle Hub, Quayside, Ouseburn. 1:30-2:30pm & 3:15-4:00pm. Free. Acoustic blues guitar. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Lydia Rae Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Rae (vocals); Sam Lightwing (alto sax, tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); John Bradford (drums).
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Table reservations (0191 261 8000). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 05: Storytellers Street Band @ Ouseburn Woodland, Ouseburn. 5:00-6:00pm. Free. An Ouseburn Festival event.
Sun 05: Gerry Richardson’s Big Idea @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 05: Jambone @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:15-9:45pm. Free but ticketed.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Press release: The Puppini Sisters Announce UK Tour and New Album Celebrating 20 Years Since Their Debut

Close harmonies, corsets and clever covers. Fabulous frocks, festival stages, platinum records and famous fans from Michael Bublé and Cyndi Lauper to Robbie Williams, and even King Charles. For two decades, The Puppini Sisters have brought vintage glamour and vocal fireworks to audiences around the world.

Now, in celebration of 2026 marking 20 years since their debut album, the group have announced a brand new record, ‘The Birthday Party’, out 27th March, plus a celebratory UK tour — The Birthday Tour — taking place in May.

Bologna-born Marcella Puppini formed the trio at London’s Trinity College of Music in 2004, and by the following year they were signed. Their debut, ‘Betcha Bottom Dollar’, saw their sassy, swing rearrangements transform songs from all eras – “Mr Sandman”, “Jeepers Creepers” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” (from Company B) sat alongside Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”, Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” and “Panic” by The Smiths.

The album went Top 20 in Britain and spent almost a year on the Billboard chart. The Puppini Sisters have toured the world ever since, spawning a new scene and watching as mainstream pop embraced their burlesque-inspired aesthetic.

To celebrate turning 20, The Puppini Sisters have some surprises up their elegant sleeves. Marcella and original band member Kate Mullins have reunited with Rosanna Schura, a very early Puppini Sister who returned briefly in 2016.

Marcella Puppini says: “We’re like the Sugababes, getting Mutya back! There hasn’t been a bust-up, it’s simply scheduling because we all have other projects. Rosanna is our original redhead.”

The trio will release ‘The Birthday Party’, their seventh studio album, in March; comprising original material and covers they have been saving up for this special occasion. They will also tour with the same outstanding line-up featured on the album: Martin Kolarides on guitar, Henrik Jensen on double bass, and Peter Ibbetson on drums. Full details and a first taste of the new record are to be announced in due course.

With their trademark wit, glamour, and dazzling three-part harmonies, The Puppini Sisters continue to reinvent the golden age of swing for modern audiences. From intimate cabaret clubs to the world’s biggest stages, they remain unmatched in their ability to blend nostalgia with fresh invention. As they raise a glass to two decades of music, The Birthday tour promises to be a glittering celebration of everything that makes The Puppini Sisters a truly timeless act.


The Birthday Party – New Album Out  March 27, 2026

The Birthday Tour – May 15 TICKETS:

Presale: Wednesday October 15, 10am
General Sale: Friday October 17, 10am
To purchase tickets and pre-order album visit: 

ThePuppiniSisters.com

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