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.

Sun 20: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 20: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 20: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm. Free.

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.

Thursday, August 06, 2026

Sonny speaks

A few Sonny Rollins' quotes from the Bebop Spoken There archive...

 Sonny Rollins: “I don't feel I'm as great as they think I am.” – (DownBeat November 28, 1956)
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Sonny Rollins: "These guys who only play their own tunes, they can cover up a lot of things, but if you play the melody of Stardust, everybody can tell whether you're doing it right or not." - (DownBeat August 26, 1965).
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Sonny Rollins: "I never actually drove a cab. A job was offered to me, but I never consummated the act, if I can put it that way" - Sonny Rollins. (DownBeat - August 26, 1965).
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Sonny Rollins: "I work very hard. I wear out suits playing." - (DownBeat May 29, 1969.)
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Sonny Rollins: "I know DownBeat's been pretty hard on me recently, which I suppose is a kind of honor. Maybe now that Miles is dead, they figure they have me to kick around." – (DownBeat December 1992).
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Sonny Rollins: “This is my philosophy of playing. It could be 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.' The development of themes, this is the way that I play, I don't care what it is, it's what you do with it” – (DownBeat January 1995).
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Sonny Rollins: "I'm fortunate and happy to say that Zoot Sims was an individual that I knew personally in my life" – (DownBeat July 1999).
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Sonny Rollins: “My aspirations have not yet been achieved at this time. There is more to come, at least that is what I am living for.” -  (Jazz Journal January 2009).
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Sonny Rollins: “I think the world was created just to be exactly the way it is, to have fighting and people hating each other, people bombing each other.” – (Jazzwise June 2014).
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Sonny Rollins: “He [Orrin Keepnews, record producer] gave a lot of guys the opportunity to do a lot of things – Cannonball, who was one of his favorites, McCoy, Monk – so I think he was very helpful to a lot of musicians who needed to be recorded.” – (Jazz Times May 2015).
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Sonny Rollins: "I don't like recording, it's like cybersex compared to the real thing" - (Geoffrey Smith's Jazz - Radio 3, October 27, 2019. Brought to my attention by Hugh C).
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Sonny Rollins: "I don't really know the present occupant personally, but I knew Lester Young personally, and I would go with Lester Young [for President of the United States of America]." - (The New Yorker 11 June 2020).
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Sonny Rollins: "It's too frustrating to listen to music when I can't participate fully as I once did in my life ." - (Jazzwise Dec 2020/Jan 2021).
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