Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''We knew back in the day that Emmet [Cohen] had it.'' (DownBeat July, 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

18754 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 618 of them this year alone and, so far this month (July 28) 82

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

July

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ Music Dept., Durham University. 9:15pm. A Durham Fringe Festival event

Thu 30: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 30: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £6.50.
Thu 30: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes. .

Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Red Kites Jazz @ Land of Oak & Iron, Winlaton. 6:00-9:00pm. Free.
Fri 31: Milne Glendinning Band @ Repas 7 by Night, Berwick. 8:00-9:00pm. £6.00. A Berwick Fringe Festival event. £6.00 (£6.00 wristband access to all Fringe events).

August

Sat 01: Jazz Weekend workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am. £95.00. Tutors: Nel Begley & Paul Edis: Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop. Day 1/2.
Sat 01: Jim Wright’s Rhythm Deluxe @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 01: Tees Bay Swing Band @ Saltburn Bandstand. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sat 01: Milne Glendinning Band @ Leonard’s Coffee House, Durham. 6:20pm. £7.00. A Durham Fringe Festival. 1/2.
Sat 01: Paul Skerritt Swing Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 8:00pm. Free.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 01: The Swing Commanders @ The Amphitheatre, Stockton. 9:00-10:30pm. Free. Stockton International Riverside Festival.

Sun 02: Jazz Weekend workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 9:30am. £95.00. Tutors: Nel Begley & Paul Edis: Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop. Day 2/2.
Sun 02: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 02: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free. Feat. guest Sue Ferris.
Sun 02: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 02: Milne Glendinning Band @ Leonard’s Coffee House, Durham. 6:20pm. £7.00. A Durham Fringe Festival event. 2/2.
Sun 02: Nel Begley & Paul Edis @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00.

Mon 03: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 03: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).

Tue 04: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Lindsay makes JRR!

Sunday's edition of Jazz Record Requests includes a track from Lindsay Hannon's Make Dark Heaven Light album. The Lindsay Hannon Plus comprises vocalist Lindsay, Mark Williams, guitar, John Pope, bass and drummer Russ Morgan. Which track you'll hear would be telling and if you tune to Radio 3 at four o'clock tomorrow Alyn Shipton will also reveal the name of the requester! 
Russell

Hal Singer, Trump and Tulsa

Brian Ebbatson has drawn my attention to an article in the Washington Post relating to President Trump's rally in Tulsa today. Of particular interest to BSH and myself is the fact that the article is about tenor saxist Hal Singer, now aged 100, and the tragic events that occurred in Tulsa, Hal's birthplace in 1921.

Ninety-nine years later, it's still a harrowing story.

Friday, June 19, 2020

61. Ljubljana Jazz Festival: Collori & Momento Cigano (Slovenia)

Teo Collori, lead guitar; Metod Banko, rhythm guitar; Matija Krečič, violin; Matej Kužel, clarinet; Jošt Lampret, bass.

The choices were, seemingly endless. Did I go for The Jive Aces, Brandon Allen, Kai Hoffman or take a virtual trip to Slovenia? In the end, the latter won and I was off once more to Ljubljana and it didn't matter that I'd forgotten my passport!

Momento Cigano, led by Maccaferri maestro Collori, have taken the Hot Club formula to places where Stephane and Django would never have imagined. This is not to pit one against the other but rather to draw attention to the differences. Django played with both violin (Grappelli) and clarinet (Hubert Rostaing) but I don't think he recorded with violin and clarinet together - I am open to correction on this! Also, the original Hot Club Quintet, played primarily for dancing and thus were rarely able to mix up the tempos and modes as Momento do.

Tomasso and Thomas livestreaming - June 19.

Enrico Tomasso (trumpet/vocal); Thomas "Spats" Langham (guitar/banjo/vocal).

Stream two - it's a busy night for me! Say When opened with a vocal from Spats and a hot chorus from Rico. East St. Louis Toodle-oo had some fine plungering by Rico on top of Spats' banjoing. Louise was a natural choice as it seems every girl in Rico's family is a Louise and we had the added bonus of a Rico vocal.

Dulcie May Moreno: Lockdown Session - June 19

The first of tonight's triple-header featured vocalist Dulcie May Morino in a sublime performance accompanied from afar by Stephen Bridgland on guitar. When I checked in Dulcie was working out on Poison Ivy, the Lieber/Stoller number made famous by The Coasters. 

Perdido swung gently and we met Dulcie's beautiful white cat - I think our Daphne was jealous as she refused to look at the screen.

Hexham Thursday Sessions #10 : Lullaby of Birdland

Paul Edis: Lockdown Live #14 - June 19

Paul Edis (piano, vocals)

Strike Up the Band commanded George Gershwin and so began today's 'Lockdown Live' lunchtime set by Paul Edis. YouTube the platform, pianist Edis the performer, no fewer than eleven tunes this sunny Friday afternoon with PEAS* members looking in from near (sunny Ashington, Gateshead and Newcastle) and far (rainy season Saigon).

Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio Sundays 6.00 -7.30p.m. (Online Radio)

(Press release)

Upcoming programmes:
Sunday June 21 – The programme includes Emma Fisk a North East Jazz Violinist who has her 5 choices of tracks as well as hearing a couple of her performances.
Sunday June 28 & July 5 : A Brief and Unfinished History of Jazz by Paul Edis 
Paul Edis, Pianist, Composer and Educator, has compiled a history of Jazz until 1959, with tracks to illustrate the evolution of Jazz over this period.
On the June 28 we will also be visiting Jazz and the Movies.
We are always looking for requests - Facebook: ‘Jazz Time Aycliffe Radio’.

Preview: Selma - BBC 2

Tonight (Friday) at 11:20pm on BBC 2 there is a timely screening of Selma (dir Ava DuVernay). Starring David Oyelowo as Dr Martin Luther King Jr., the 2014 Academy Award-winning film (Best Original Song) charts the 1965 civil rights' march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Carmen Ejogo plays Coretta Scot King, Oprah Winfrey is cast as Annie Lee Cooper, André Holland (seen recently in the Netflix series The Eddy) takes the part of Andrew Young* and Fred Gray is played by Cuba Gooding Jr.. Harry Belafonte**, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tony Bennett are seen in archive footage. The jazz interest lies in the fact that Jason Moran (pictured) composed the soundtrack. 

Album review: Zoöphyte - Signs of Life

The debut album from Zoöphyte* showcases the songwriting talents of Peter Jones and Trevor Lever as well as Jones' cool vocals and contributions from a team of A-listers.

Described as a cross-genre project I was at first a little hesitant having experienced cross-genre projects in the past. However, this was one cross-genre project that was no trendy mish-mash aimed at pleasing everyone and ultimately pleasing no one.

This one works so beautifully that I hardly noticed the component modes - just the end product, so skillfully were they blended.

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