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Bebop Spoken There

George Porter Jr.: ''To me, syncopation is like jazz. It wasn't meant for the masses. It was meant just for a hip few". (DownBeat, May 2025).

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

18043 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 364 of them this year alone and, so far, 42 this month (May 15).

From This Moment On ...

MAY 2025

Mon 19: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 19: Lewis Watson Quartet @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 20: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Stu Collingwood, Paul Grainger, Bailey Rudd.
Tue 20: Alexia Gardner Quintet @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth NE61 1ND. 8:00pm.

Wed 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 21: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public). b Wed 21: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 22: Nuevo Castillo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £5.00.
Thu 22: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:30-9:15pm. Free.
Thu 22: Pedal Point Trio @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Fri 23: Dean Stockdale Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. ‘Celebrating Oscar’.
Fri 23: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 23: Anna Reay & Deon Krishnan @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free.
Fri 23: Joe Steels Group @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:00pm. £10.00. + £1.55. bf. A Northumberland Jazz Festival fringe event.
Fri 23: Spilt Milk @ STACK, Exchange Sq., Middlesbrough. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Nolan Brothers (vocal harmonies).
Fri 23: Gaz Hughes Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm.
Fri 23: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 8:00pm. £19.00.; £17.00. ‘Time After Time’.

Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 12:30-2:15pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Bywell Hall, Stocksfield. 1:30pm. Northumberland County Show.
Sat 24: Jason Isaacs @ STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 24: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ The Peacock, Sunderland. 6:00pm.
Sat 24: Dean Stockdale Quartet + Mingus Sings @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Stockdale (piano); Tim Williams (guitar); Gavin Barras (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums) + Mingus Sings: Sara Oschlag (vocals); Alan Barnes (reeds); Tim Lapthorn (piano); Arnie Somogyi (double bass); Clark Tracey (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sat 24: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 24: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sat 24: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm (7:00pm doors). £3.00. + bf.
Sat 24: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 25: Zoë Gilby & Andy Champion: Bandstand Sessions @ The Sele, Hexham. 12 noon. Free. A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Musicians Unlimited @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ Spanish City Plaza (outdoor stage). 1:00pm. Free. A Whitley Bay Carnival event.
Sun 25: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Catriona Bourne Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Bourne (harp), Francis Tulip (guitar), James Owston (double bass), Joe Bainbridge (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 25: Struggle Buggy @ The Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 25: Joe Steels Group + Norma Winstone (vocals); Nikki Iles (piano); Mike Walker (guitar); Steve Watts (double bass). 7:00pm. Admission: see website: www.queenshall.co.uk. Steels (guitar); Ferg Kilsby (trumpet, flugelhorn); Ben Lawrence (piano); Paul Susans (double bass); John Hirst (drums). A Northumberland Jazz Festival event.
Sun 25: Jazz Jam Sandwich! @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 25: Xhosa Cole/Neil Charles/Mark Sanders @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A JNE promotion. Note: Xhosa Cole replaces Nicole Mitchell.

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

Complete Discs To Die For To Date

Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else<br>
Cannonball Adderley - Work Song<br>
Cannonball Adderley Quintet In San Francisco.<br>
Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens<br>
Louis Armstrong Plays W.C.Handy<br>
Chet Baker-Art Pepper - The Route<br>
Count Basie - The Atomic Mr. Basie.<br>
Bix Beiderbecke - the Singing the Blues/I'm Coming Virginia session.<br>
Tony Bennett/Bill Evans "Together Again"<br>
Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album [with Days of Wine and Roses etc]<br>
Art Blakey - Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - '' Moanin' ''<br>
Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet.: Study In Brown.<br>
Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet - [the one with Joy Spring, Jordu etc]<br>
Clifford Brown Joy Spring.<br>
Donald Brown - Car Tunes
Don Byas/Paul Gonsalves/Ben Webster - The Three Tenors
Charlie Byrd: Blues For Night People
June Christy/Stan Kenton - Duet.
Buck Clayton Jam Session.
Ornette Coleman/Pat Metheny - Song X
John Coltrane - Africa Brass.
John Coltrane - Blue Trane
Chick Corea - Light as a Feather.
Miles Davis - The Complete Concert 1964
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Miles Davis - Miles Davis Live in Europe
Miles Davis - Nefertiti.
Blossom Dearie - Blossom time at Ronnie Scott's
Walt Dickerson - Tell Us Only The Beautiful Things
Harry Edison, Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You?
Duke Ellington - And His Mother Called Him Bill.
Duke Ellington: 'The Webster-Blanton Band' (3 CD set on Bluebird)
Duke Ellington – Ellington at Newport ‘56
Kurt Elling - Flirting With Twilight.
Bill Evans, Waltz for Debbie
Bill Evans - With Symphony Orchestra.
Ella Fitzgerald - Sings Cole Porter.
Ella Fitzgerald with Ellis Larkins - Songs in a Mellow Mood.
Jan Garbarek - Afric Pepperbird
Erroll Garner - Concert by the Sea
Dizzy Gillespie - Trumpet Kings at Montreux 1975.
Benny Goodman - The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
Benny Goodman Sextet – with Cootie and Christian.
Dexter Gordon - Go!
The Great Jazz Trio - Someday My Prince Will Come
Jim Hall/Ron Carter - 'Alone Together'
Lionel Hampton/Charlie Shavers – “Just Jazz Concert”
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Barry Harris Trio - Live At The Jazz Workshop
Hampton Hawes Trio Volume 1
Coleman Hawkins - The Stanley Dance Sessions
Coleman Hawkins-The Hawk Relaxes.
Coleman Hawkins - How Deep Is the Ocean (1943)
The Hot Horn Happening(Mark Nightingale, Brian Kellock Ricky Woodard,Jeff Clayton) - Live in Paris
Abdullah Ibraham - The Mountain
Ahmed Jamal - The Awakenung
Keith Jarrett - The Melody At Night with You
Eddie Jefferson - Letter from Home
J.J.Johnson/Al Grey-Things Are Getting Better All The Time.
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis - Potpourri
Richie Kamuca/Mundell Lowe - 'Richie'
Brian Kellock, Live at Henry's
Stan Kenton - Artistry in Rhythm.
Carol Kidd - When I dream
Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Kirkatron
Lambert, Hendricks and Ross! - The Hottest New Group in Jazz
Humphrey Lyttelton - Triple Exposure
Wynton Marsalis - Wynton Marsalis Quartet Live at Blues Alley
Tina May/Nikki Iles - Change of Sky.
Carmen McCrae - Carmen Sings Monk
Pat Methany - Secret Story.
Pat Metheny - Works
Mezzrow-Bechet Quintet - Really the Blues
Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots
Charles Mingus - Ah Um (2)
Charles Mingus, 'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady'
Charles Mingus - Tijuana Moods.
MJQ - The Last Concert
Hank Mobley Quartet: Soul Station.
Thelonious Monk - Criss Cross.
Wes Montgomery/Johnny Griffin - 'Life at Zsubo's.
Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder.
James Morrison/Ray Brown - Two the Max
Jelly Roll Morton Red Hot Peppers (1926 sessions - in many formats)
Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights
Gerry Mulligan-Presenting The Gerry Mulligan Sextet.
Gerry Mulligan - The Original Quartet & Tentette
David Murray, Morning Song
Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie: Live at Massey Hall.
William Parker Quartet with Leena Conquest, Raining on the Moon
Joe Pass - Live at Long Beach City College
Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
Oscar Peterson - Night Train
Bobby Previte - Hue And Cry
Freddie Redd, the Connection
Joshua Redman - Elastic
Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grappelli "Stars of the Hot Club".
Buddy Rich - Big Swing Face
Sonny Rollins, The Bridge
Charlie Rouse - Yeah!
Artie Shaw - The Swinging Big Bands (1938/1945)
Horace Silver - Song For My Father.
Frank Sinatra "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning".
Muggsy Spanier – The Great 16.
Steps Ahead - Smokin in the Pit.
Tierney Sutton - Blue in Green.
Art Tatum/BenWebster Quartet - Gone with the Wind.
Bobby Timmons - Here Is Bobby Timmons.
Jim Tomlinson - The Lyric .
Mel Torme/George Shearing The Complete Concorde Sessions.
Stan Tracey - Genesis
Various - The Pannasie Sessions.
Weather Report - Black Market.
Ben Webster - The Quintet Sessions
Ben Webster - Soulville
Norma Winstone - Another Time Another Place.
Steve Andrews said...
If I had to choose just one "Disc to Die For" it would have to be Coleman Hawkins' 1943 recording of "How Deep is the Ocean?" - Wow! For me, this sums up the sound of the tenor.....

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