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

18997 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 861 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Oct. 13) 40.

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.

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.

Mon 19: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

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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