Bebop Spoken There

John McLaughlin: ''It was then that Coltrane came along and single-handedly brought this dimension of spirituality into jazz. It was a pivotal experience to me.'' (DownBeat 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

18994 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 858 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 12) 37.

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

October.

Mon 12: Jack Pearce Quintet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm.
Mon 12: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 13: Alan Law @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 2:00pm. Free. Alan Law (piano) w. Julija Jacenaite (vocals).

Wed 14: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: A Night of Stevie Wonder @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 4:45pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 14: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 14: Jam session @ The Tannery, Hexham. 7:00pm. Free.
Wed 14: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 14: A Night of Stevie Wonder @ Holy GrAle, Durham. 7:30pm. £3.00.; £2.50. A Durham University Jazz Society event.
Wed 14: NW FRQNC @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £15.00. Selina Albright, Gianni Vancini.
Wed 14: Jacob Egglestone Trio @ Elder Beer, Heaton, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00. JNE.

Thu 15: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 15: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00.
Thu 15: Leah Kirk: A Strange Affair @ Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. Free (donations). Leah Kirk (vocals); Alan Law (keyboards); Paul Grainger (double bass).
Thu 15: Jeremy McMurray’s Pocket Jazz Orchestra @ Arc, Stockton. 8:00pm. PJO w. guest Graham Hardy (trumpet).

Fri 16: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 16: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 16: Ancient Infinity Orchestra @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 16: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. £13.01. adv.; £15.00. on the door. Old Black Cat Jazz Club.
Fri 16: Milne Glendinning Band @ Repas 7 by Night, West St., Berwick. 8:00pm. Free.

Sat 17: SunOrbitUs @ Culture House, Sunderland. 11:00am - 5:00pm. Closing event in a year-long piece of music. 11:00am-1:00pm Improvisation workshop w. Faye MacCalman; 2:00-5:00pm Collective Improvised Performance by Sunderland residents. SOLD OUT!
Sat 17: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 17: Martin Taylor @ Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £48.72; £43.37. Solo guitar. SOLD OUT!

Sun 18: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 18: Creakin’ Bones & the Sunday Dinners @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Jump jive.
Sun 18: Guisborough Big Band @ Redcar Rugby Club. 5:00-8:00pm. ‘Charity Big Band Birthday Bash’ in aid of Parkinson’s UK & Young Sounds UK. Free (donations on the door).
Sun 18: Martin Taylor @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. £23.30. Solo guitar.
Sun 18: Ben Crosland Quartet with Steve Waterman @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Saturday, August 15, 2026

Bold Big Band @ Pilgrim, Newcastle - Aug. 14

© Sylvia
Jacob Lightfoot, Max Storey, Georgia Corrin, Molly Clibbett, Brian Wicks (MD) (saxes); Billy Bradshaw, Josh Skyrme, David O'Farrell, Asim Iqbal (trumpets); Alex Utting, Bertie Marks, Thomas McDonald, Ciáran Skipper (trombones); Marcus Dawe (keys); Anya Daley (guitar); Ifede Osiyemi (bass); Josh Weir (drums); Cara Britton (vocals); Chiara Todisco, Lulu Perren, Joel Lai (backing vocals) + Ross Cantrell, Olly Styles (guests); Ed Moore (support)

The main event hit the stage fashionably (unfashionably for Pilgrim) late. The queue was already forming when we arrived in, or so we thought, good time. Truth is the queue was ever-increasing so, rather than disappoint anyone, the happenings didn't happen until everyone was watered and primed for what was to follow which was a short set by singer/guitarist Ed Moore whose pleasing, Nashville orientated, voice possibly wasn't heard to its best advantage. 

© Sylvia/Lance (collage)
The BBB kicked off their first set with Buddy Rich's iconic West Side Story Medley. It's a demanding arrangement and would probably been better to have placed it later in the set when the horns were warmed up and the lips were in. Corrin, Utting and, of course Josh Weir took the solos. Brahm's Hungarian Dance no. 5 was an unusual choice but the BBB made it swing as if Brahms had combined with Liszt.


Time for Cara Britton to give us Jolene, Pink Floyd's Money, For Once in my Life and Friend Like me. Cara was in good voice. Rockier, poppier than at previous gigs. Solos by Bradshaw and Skipper, the Pink Floyd number was introduced with a spoken background to the song by Jacob Lightfoot.

The set finished with Here Comes the Sun, the 'bone solo on this one  by Bertie Marks followed by a hilarious number Thomas the Bebop Engine which was a mix of Thomas the Tank Engine and Take the A Train and featured tenor sax guest Ross Cantrell who knows a thing or two about saxophoning.

Sadly, owing to the late start I had to miss the second set but I have it on good authority that the set list was as follows: Keep the Customer Satisfied (Simon & Garfunkel via Buddy Rich); You and the Night and the Music; Runaway Baby*; Toxic*; I Just Might*; Wings*; Ain't no Mountain High Enough (feat. Olly Styles); Joy*; Can't Take my Eyes Off You.

*Vocals by Cara 

All in all, as ever at Pilgrim, it's never boring. Lance
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