Bebop Spoken There

Gary Bartz: ''Music is nature's gift to man. It's the only religion. We're living in a terrible era, but what a beautiful thing music is. Look how it brings us together like religion is supposed to; and with no language barriers.'' (Jazzwise 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

18918 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 782 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 18.) 61.

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

September.

Mon 21: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 21: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. Coltrane centenary.

Tue 22: ???

Wed 23: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 23: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 23: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A John Coltrane Centenary Concert (b. 23. 09. 1926). SOLD OUT!
Wed 23: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 24: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 24: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 24: Arun Ghosh @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:30pm doors). £21.05. (£22.00. on the door). A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 24: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 25: Mark Williams Trio @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Fri 25: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 25: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 25: Get the Blessing + Dilettante @ The Cluny (Cluny 2), Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £18.00. + bf. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 25: Jazz Sabbath @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 26: Adam Fairhall & Johnny Hunter: Play Mary Lou Williams @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 6:00pm. Free. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sat 26: John Pope Quintet + Urvashi @ The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £15.40. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

Sun 27: Salty Dog @ The Cluny. 12:30pm (doors). Free (donations).
Sun 27: Musicians Unlimited @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Zach Sewell-Lara Hopper Quintet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 27: Sun 27: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free. RESCHEDULED to Sunday 4 October.
Sun 27: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 27: Alex Hitchcock Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £16.00., £14.00. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.

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 
at

No comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )

Blog Archive