Bebop Spoken There

Joe Alterman: ''All I wanted to do growing up was to sound like Erroll Garner playing "Poor Butterfly." I thought that was the coolest sound I'd ever heard.'' (DownBeat November, 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

19,105 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 969 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Nov. 14) 39.

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

November

Sun 15: Lianne Carroll: Jazz Vocal Weekend Workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am-5:00pm. Day 2/2. SOLD OUT!
Sun 15: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: James Birkett & Emma Fisk @ The Waiting Room, Eaglescliffe. 7:00pm. £48.18 (to include dinner); £17.43 (concert only).
Sun 15: Sarah Gillespie & Chris Montague @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00.
Sun 15: Liane Carroll @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00. Solo performance. SOLD OUT!

Mon 16: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Jacob Egglestone, Paul Grainger, Joe Deans.
Tue 17: Grammy Season (Laubrock/Seabrook/Lovato/Rainey) @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 8:00pm. JNE.

Wed 18: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 18: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 18: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 19: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 19: Papa G’s Troves @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations).
Thu 19: Marina Josephina @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £10.60; £10.60.; £8.50 Early Bird.

Fri 20: Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion: The Music of Duke Ellington @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Customs House Big Band @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm.

Sat 21: Pete Tanton Duo @ Awesome Frank’s, West Jesmond Metro Station, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £8.00.
Sat 21: Paul Skerritt Big Band @ The Westovian Theatre, South Shields. 7:30pm. £18.00.

Monday, June 22, 2026

New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Trinity Church, Gosforth, Newcastle - June 20

Caroline Irwin (MC, vocals); Jim McBriarty (MC, reeds, vocals); Josh Bentham (reeds); Gavin Lee (reeds); Alastair Lord (trumpet); Ben Chinery (trumpet); Neville Hartley (trombone); Emma Fisk (violin); Dean Stockdale (piano); Keith Stephen (banjo, guitar); Phil Rutherford (tuba); Nick Ward (drums)

On a beautiful summer's evening Trinity Church in Gosforth attracted a fair few of the New Century Ragtime Orchestra's long standing supporters. In the absence of Steve Andrews, MC duties would be shared between Caroline Irwin and Jim McBriarty. A couple of more than capable deps stepped in to replace the indisposed Martin Litton and Dave Hignett, namely Dean Stockdale and Ben Chinery.

Sweet Jennie Lee 
for starters, the band sounding good. Am I Blue? sang Ms Irwin. NCRO mastermind Dave Kerr adapted an arrangement of Duke Ellington's Awful Sad, more Ellington, please! 

Stomp Your Feet, the tune, 'Stomp your feet' the command, Stomp our feet we did, Dean Stockdale and Josh Bentham the soloists. Things were going well. 

After the Ball, composed last century, that's the nineteenth century, Doin' the Frog, another Ellington, no less, the New Century boys and girls (Caroline Irwin and violinist Emma Fisk) were on top form, not least special guest, percussion maestro Nick Ward. 

Jim McBriarty sang one of those songs with an inordinately long title, Harry Warren's I Found a New Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store), lyrics by Mort Dixon and Billy Rose. 

Talking of Ellington, Dean Stockdale's Take the A Train solo piano feature brought the house down. The New Century Ragtime Orchestra is an institution on Tyneside and as the band signed off with Goodbye Blues, it was very much a case of 'Here's to the next time'. Russell 

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