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

Mon 29: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

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 TBC.
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.

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead - Apr. 11

Paul Skerritt (vocals); Stuart McLean-Fowler (MD); Paul Skerritt (vocals); Dan Johnson, Kim Skerritt, Sue Ferris, Josh Bentham, Niall Armstrong (reeds); Sam Armstrong, Benny Coxon, Dave Hignett, Michael Lamb (trumpets); Kieran Parnaby, Alex Utting, Laura Davison; Chris Gray (trombones); Jeremy McMurray (keyboards); Pawel Jedrzejewski (guitar); Jamie Watkins (double bass); Dave McKeague (drums) + Ruth Stapleton (vocals)

The Glasshouse. Hall Two. The first two tiers sold out. The Paul Skerritt Big Band, with the Main Man waiting in the wings, opened with Big Swing Face. The casual punter could be forgiven for thinking they were in for an evening of straight ahead big band jazz. Enter the Main Man...

Mr Paul Skerritt likes to have a good time and he all but insists you should have a good time too. From the off, the wisecracks came thick and fast. Skerritt is your ideal 'Rat Pack' entertainer. Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Curtis Stigers were but three names Skerritt happily namechecked. Witty repartee ensued, whether between the Main Man and his audience or the Main Man and his band. Sitting/hiding in the trombone section, Kieran Parnaby was frequently on the end of Skerritt's barbs. Mind you, Parnaby gave as good as he got!

 

As Skerritt did the leaping about (mid-air scissor kicks), MD Stuart McLean-Fowler did the hard work, guiding the ensemble through the evening's many charts. Powerhouse drummer Dave McKeague, on loan from the Strictly Smokin' Big Band, was all over the material. Excellent stuff. A killer trumpet section, comprising the SSBB's MD Michael Lamb, the TVBB's leader Dave Hignett, the impressive Sam Armstrong and the equally impressive Benny Coxon (Come Rain or Come Shine), appeared to be having a ball.

Audience engagement plays a big part in Mr Skerritt's performance. If some in the stalls have had a sherbet or three, so much the better. And, sure enough...they were up dancing. There's always a cheerleader, isn't there? The Main Man leapt down from the stage, singing, not quite dancing. Meanwhile, up on the stage, the PSBB got on with what it does best - playing big band jazz! During the evening, the tenors of Sue Ferris and Josh Bentham locked horns, the aforementioned K. Parnaby had a blast, the rhythm section cruised through the charts and, special guest, vocalist Ruth Stapleton, joined Mr Skerritt to sing a couple of numbers, including Slow Boat to China.

If the Paul Skerritt Big Band is on stage in Hall Two, it must be April. Next year (2027), a return visit is already pencilled in. Watch this space. Russell

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