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: 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: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free. Ruth Lambert (vocals); Giles Strong (guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass).
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, July 13, 2026

Sunday Night@ The Globe: The Bridge Quartet - July 12

© Sylvia
James Girling (guitar); Dave Edge (tenor sax); Andreas Svabø (bass); Emil Norman (drums)

Sonny Rollins' sabbatical years wood-shedding on the Williamsburg Bridge have long been an integral part of modern jazz folklore and needs no further background info from me 

However, with the passing of the great man on May 25 this year every jazz jock has played tracks and paid tribute to him whilst bands and strollin' players have also done their bit.!

One such ensemble is the Bridge Quartet who last night at the Globe laid waste to any other band ploughing the same furrow. Two Brits and two Scandinavians, all four now based in Oslo, kicked off with Without a Song which is also the opening track on the album. From the moment the first cascade of notes erupted like a meteor storm from the bell of Edge's tenor  myself, and the considerably less than capacity audience, sensed that this was going to be more than just another gig.

Was it not!

If Ever I Would Leave You from Rollins' follow-up album What's New? isn't your run of the mill jazz standard but Rollins, and by proxy the Bridge Quartet, don't do "run of the mill". The hit song from Camelot has a nice bounce to it with solos all round. Back to The Bridge for Where Are You? Edge draws the title out like Sinatra and Dexter do - Where....Are... You..? As opposed to the unhip Where Are You? where the words are read or played without emotion. The musicians avoid that pitfall.

I've Told Every Little Star was a Rollins favourite - I've got four versions spread over two discs - 4:52; 5:54; 4:26; 6:33 being the running times per track. I didn't time last night's version but I'm sure it will be up there. The first set, like the A side of the record finished with John S. It left me gobsmacked at what I was hearing from guitar, bass, drums and tenor - what a band! Why were the audience predominantly strangers? Where were the regulars?

The second set comprised: I'm an Old Cowhand (from Way Out West; The Night Has a Thousand Eyes; The Bridge; God Bless the Child and You do Something to me. All solid performances - if you're a jazz fan and you weren't there then you ain't a jazz fan. However, you have a chance of a suspended sentence by hightailing it down to Leeds tomorrow night (July 14) - DETAILS. Lance

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