Bebop Spoken There

David Bailey (photographer): ''When I was 16 I wanted to look like Chet Baker. He was my idol - him and James Dean.'' (Talking Pictures documentary : Four beats to the bar and no cheating April, 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

18482 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 346 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 30 ) 80

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

Sun 03: Chilcott Jazz Mass @ St George’s Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 9:30am. Free. Sung communion with Parish Choir (featuring Bob Chilcott’s music). A Jesmond Community Festival event.
Sun 03: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 03: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Mark Toomey (alto sax).
Sun 03: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 03: Tom Waits for No Man @ Oxygenic, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm (2:30pm doors). Neckties and Boxing Gloves album launch. £14.00 (gig & a CD); £8.00 (gig only). SOLD OUT!
Sun 03: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 03: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £3.76.
Sun 03: John Pope & John Garner @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00.

Mon 04: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: Pete Tanton’s Cuban Heels @ The Library, South Parade, Whitley Bay. 4:00-6:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Tue 05: Leah Kirk (voice): Final Year Music Recital @ The Band Room, Music Studios, Assembly Lane, Newcastle University. 2:30pm. Free, open to the public.
Tue 05: Jenny Baker (voice): Final Year Music Recital @ The Band Room, Music Studios, Assembly Lane, Newcastle University. 4:20pm. Free, open to the public.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Tim Johnston (drums).
Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ The Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 07: Robert Finley @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £17.50. Excellent US falsetto soul/blues voice.
Thu 07: ALT @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. Alan Law, Paul Grainger, Rob Walker. Thu 07: Liam & Shayo @ The Globe , Newcastle. 8:00pm. £5.00. Liam Oliver (guitar), Shayo Oshodi (vocals).
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 08: Alan Law Trio @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Law, Mick Shoulder, John Bradford.
Fri 08: Giles Strong & Richard Herdman @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00. Guitar duo.
Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Milne Glendinning Band @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 6:00pm . Free. A Late Shows event.
Fri 08: Nigel Kennedy @ The Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Line-up inc. Alec Dankworth.

Sat 09: SH#RP Collective w. Lindsay Hannon @ Church of Holy Name, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £15.00 (inc. a welcome drink). Advance booking essential. Bring own snacks, drinks to be purchased at ‘donations’ bar. All proceeds to charity. A Jesmond Community Festival event.
Sat 09: East Coast Swing Band @ Jubilee Hall, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £10.00.

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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