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

18878 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 742 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Sept. 4.) 21.

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.

Sat 05: Alligator Gumbo @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 05: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Hartlepool Art Gallery. 4:00-6:15pm. £6.00. Concert performance. Tickets available from the venue - tel: 01429 869706.
Sat 05: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 06: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 06: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Ian Bosworth (guitar); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Jeremy McMurray (keyboards); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Mark Hawkins (drums) & guest Mick Donnelly (tenor sax).
Sun 06: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Ropner Park, Stockton. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 06: Nils Kavanagh Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 07: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 07: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 08: Seijiro Murayama & Jean-Luc Guionnet @ Star & Shadow Cinema, Warwick St., Newcastle, NE2 1BB. 7.00pm. £10.00 (advance); £12.00 (on door); £.15.00 (solidarity).
Tue 08: SH#RP Collective @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 08: Jazz Jam Sandwich @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Wed 09: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 09: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 09: 58 Jazz Collective @ Hartlepool Cricket Club. 7:30pm. £7.00.
Wed 09: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 09: NONUNONU @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE. Excellent trio.

Thu 10: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 10: Jacenaite All Crew @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 10: Emma Rawicz INKYRA @ Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £22.30. Sage Two. Line-up: Emma Rawicz (sax); Scottie Thompson (piano, keyboards, synth); David Preston (guitar); Kevin Glasgow (bass guitar); Jack Thomas (drums).

Fri 11: Esther Bennett @ Bishop Auckland Methodist Church. 1:00pm. £10.00. Esther Bennett (vocals); Rick Laughlin (piano); Mick Shoulder (double bass).
Fri 11: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 11: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 11: Ray Stubbs’ R&B All Stars @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £14.09 (inc. bf).

Thursday, August 13, 2026

Abbie Finn Trio: National Mackem Day @ Sheepfolds, Sunderland - Aug. 12

Abbie Finn (drums); Harry Keeble (tenor sax); Paul Grainger (double bass)

A once-in-a-generation event. No, not National Mackem Day, rather a near total eclipse of the sun, to be followed later in the evening by a meteor shower. A national shortage of eclipse glasses would mean many would forego the experience of looking directly at the sun. Some took an 'anti-woke' stance, staring straight at the burning orb. After all, it was some 93 million miles away, what harm could it possibly do? Oh, well...

Sheepfolds, standing in the shadow of Sunderland AFC's Stadium of Light on the north bank of the Wear, attracted a capacity crowd for its National Mackem Day event. All manner of performances - music, theatre etc - would entertain the revelling Mackems. In a sea of SAFC shirts (the new season's pink away strip prominent) one or two Geordie interlopers kept a low profile. 

Shortly before their half past six stage time, Messrs Harry Keeble and Paul Grainger were taking five, trying to avoid the glare of you-know-what. HK kindly offered his eclipse glasses. Trying them on, there it was: against an eerily dark background, a vivid orange sun was slowly but surely being obscured the the moon. Thanks Harry! It was time for the 'boys' to go to work.

The boys joined bandleader Abbie Finn on stage. Introduced by Mackem Jeff Brown (of BBC fame), the Abbie Finn Trio opened with So It's True (from On Pink Lane). Looking around the throng, many were imbibing and munching as if no tomorrow, some were actually listening to the AF3. Abbie directing, nudging from behind the kit, bassist Paul the rock solid anchor, Harry blowing tenor, winding it up (lower register, higher register), then winding it up some more.

North Sea Wind (another cut from On Pink Lane), Abbie's N'Awlins feel on Mardi Gras (Stotties for Three), no sooner had the trio built up a head of steam, it was time to sign off. As the imbibers continued to imbibe (and munch) and the moon and the sun continued to do their thing, the Abbie Finn Trio went out on a first album oldie, Paul Grainger's Umlazi Morning (from Northern Perspective). 

The Abbie Finn Trio will be in concert at London's Soho Pizza Express on Monday 19 October. If you're down that way, book ahead to guarantee a table. Top notch jazz and the pizzas are canny good, like (it's the Geordie colloquial). Russell
at

2 comments :

Harry Keeble said...

Thanks for coming along and for the lovely review! Just a correction, it's the Finn Keeble Group playing at Pizza Express this time. Trio will however be back at Saltburn in early October!

Friday, August 14, 2026 11:07:00 am
Russell said...

Thanks, Harry. I was aware it'll be Finn-Keeble in London and the trio in Saltburn. BSH just can't get the staff these days!

Saturday, August 15, 2026 10:28:00 am

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