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

18413 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 277 of them this year alone and, so far this month (April 7 ) 11,

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

April

Fri 10: John Rowland Trio @ Jesmond Library, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Joe Steels: Celebrating Wes Montgomery @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £9.00. Joe Steels, Dean Stockdale, Mick Shoulder, Abbie Finn.
Fri 10: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 10: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 10: Gambling Janes @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £10.00.
Fri 10: Jake Leg Jug Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 10: Steve White Trio @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £20.00. + bf. Soul Drum (Acid Jazz Records) album tour.

Sat 11: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £26.80.

Sun 12: Swing Social @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12 noon (doors). Admission: Donations (£5.00. - £10.00. suggested). Swing dance taster class, social dancing to Niffi Osiyemi Trio, DJs. Non dancers welcome. A Cluny-Swing Tyne event.
Sun 12: 58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00-3:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 12: Trio Grand @ The White Room, Stanley. 6:30-9:30pm. £10.84. CANCELLED!
Sun 12: SH#RP Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £10.00., £7.00.

Mon 13: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 14: Pete Tanton’s Cuban Heels @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 14: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 15: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 15: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 15: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 16: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Jewish Musicians/Composers/Vocalists.
Thu 16: Sleep Suppressor + Silk Road + So Anne So @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £10.00., £8.00., £6.00.
Thu 16: Fourpenny Rabbits @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thursday, April 09, 2026

Press release: Record Store Day 2026

Elemental Music and acclaimed archival producer Zev Feldman announce four stunning never-before-released albums out on vinyl April 18, 2026 for Record Store Day.

• Michel Petrucciani – Kuumbwa
2-LP set capturing a fiery 1987 performance at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California. The first Petrucciani release among the label’s many jazz treasures, the recording features the legendary pianist with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Eliot Zigmund. The thoughtfully annotated set includes reflections by pianist’s son Alexandre Petrucciani, drummer Eliot Zigmund, Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi, journalist Thierry Pérémarti, and Kuumbwa Co-Founder Tim Jackson.

• Bill Evans at the BBC
2-LP set featuring spellbinding, intimate music from a 1965 performance showcasing the legendary pianist’s trio with bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker which aired on the British TV program Jazz 625, hosted by English trumpet player Humphrey Lyttelton. The comprehensive package includes notes by Evans scholar Marc Myers, appreciations by Jamie Cullum and James Pearson, and an interview with Israels who told Marc Myers, “Yes, we were damn near perfect at the BBC."

• Cecil Taylor Unit – Fragments, The Complete 1969 Salle Pleyel Concerts 
3-LP set featuring two explosive never-before released Cecil Taylor Unit performances featuring the avant-jazz pianist’s 1969 Unit with saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, saxophonist/flutist Sam Rivers and drummer Andrew Cyrille at their creative peak. The expansive package includes notes by Taylor biographer Philip Freeman, memories from drummer Andrew Cyrille and appreciations from Karen Borca, Matthew Shipp, Jack DeJohnette and more.


• Freddie King – Feeling Alright: The Complete 1975 Nancy Jazz Pulsation Concerts
3-LP set featuring the blues legend Freddie King live before more than 50,000 fans in October 1975, the final full year of his life. Joining King are organist Alvin Hemphill, guitarist Ed Lively, pianist Lewis Stephens, bassist Benny Turner and drummer Calep Emphrey. The deluxe package features appreciations from his daughter, Wanda King, as well as ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, plus liner notes by author Cary Baker. The set documents an essential blues artist whose ferocious guitar tone, commanding singing, and genre-bridging vision helped reshape modern blues and rock.

For more about the above and other gems from Elemental Music click HERE.

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