Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: ''It was then that Coltrane came along and single-handedly brought this dimension of spirituality into jazz. It was a pivotal experience to me.'' (DownBeat September, 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

18982 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 846 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 8.) 25.

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

October.

Sat 10: Catfish Keith @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £19.00. + bf. Jumpin’ Hot Club.

Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free. Feat. guest Jack ‘Banjo’ Courtney (trumpet).
Sun 11: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 11: Harry Christelis Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A Jazz Co-op-JNE co-promotion.

Mon 12: Jack Pearce Quintet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 12: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Julija Jacenaite (vocals).

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: A Night of Stevie Wonder @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 4:45pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 14: A Night of Stevie Wonder @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 7:30pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 14: NW FRQNC @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.00. Selina Albright, Gianni Vancini.
Wed 14: Jacob Egglestone Trio @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 15: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 15: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 15: Leah Kirk: A Strange Affair @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Leah Kirk (vocals); Alan Law (keyboards); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 15: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. PJO w. guest Graham Hardy (trumpet).

Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Ancient Infinity Orchestra @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 16: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01. adv.; £15.00. on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Repas 7 by Night, West St., Berwick. 8:00pm. Free.

Saturday, November 15, 2025

Album review: Sacha - Paris After Dark (Hear me Roar Records)

Sacha Boutros (vocals); Stéphane Belmondo (trumpet); Franck Amsallem (piano); Hugo Lippi (guitar); Thomas Bramerie (bass); Tony Rabeson (drums)

Following on from Nick Mondello's YouTube interview with Sacha Boutros a couple of days ago I knew I had to hear the album and check it out to see if it is as good as Nick made it out to be.

It is! It's compelling - the voice drawing me in like the proverbial moth to a flame.

Je Reviens te Chercher (Becaud): Returning to a lover many years after breaking up. The voice is typically French even though Sacha is American born and bred. I ask myself: "Why didn't I stick in at French when I was at L'école?" Fortunately, my linguistic limitations didn't detract from my enjoyment.
Si  tu Vois Mon Mère (Bechet): In English, If You See my Mother. Beautiful and bluesy, as I would expect from a Bechet composition, there's some nice work from  trumpet and guitar to complement the vocal.
Ne Me Quitte Pas (Brel)/I'm a Fool to Want You (Sinatra): A medley of two thematically related songs. Amsallem's sympathetic accompaniment and the voice/trumpet dialogue all combine to make this one of the album's highspots.
April in Paris (Duke/Harburg): More voice/trumpet dialogue. Belmondo also solos in  Chet Baker mode and with more humour. 
Et si tu n'existais (Dassen): Sensuous and seductive vocal plus tightly muted trumpet over a gentle, contemporary rhythm.
La Javanaise (Gainsbourg): A 1963 hit for the composer. Again  the voice captivates as do the solos by Amsallem and Lippi.
Smile (Chaplin):  Emotive vocal, meaningful trumpet, who could ask for anything more?
Love in Portofino (Dalida); Sacha skillfully juggles the English, French and Italian  lyrics with ease. Not so surprising as this former pro footballer can sing in 14 different languages. Belmondo's trumpet solo however, sounds pure American.
In the Still of the Night (Porter): Voice over bass creates the mood depicted by the album's title.  Guitar chords and a bass fade out conjures up an image of two lovers walking hand in hand on the banks of the Seine.
La Belle Vie (Distel): Better known outside of France as The Good Life  and made famous by Tony Bennett it's a happy way to approach the album's closing time. Trumpet and piano featured with the rhythm swinging like crazy as les tout ensemble fade away.

Merci Sacha and Co. Lance
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