North East Round Up this September

Kurt Rosenwinkel's Bandit 65 Sage Gateshead sat 28 Sept

From Russell Corbett

From London to New Orleans to New York to Blaydon, jazz in its many forms can be heard across the region during September. A landmark gig on Sunday 15th at the Black Bull pub on Bridge Street should attract a full house as Blaydon Jazz Club celebrates its thirty fifth year! Trumpeter Bruce Adams makes a welcome return for the occasion working in the company of the Paul Edis Trio. It's a seven thirty start, a tenner admission on the door (arrive early to bag a seat at what is sure to be a standing-room-only affair), here's to the next thirty five years!

Wednesday 4th sees a first visit to Tyneside by Frog and Henry. Based in New Orleans, the five piece early jazz specialists made a big impression earlier in the year at Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club. The Black Swan in Newcastle is the place to be to, eight o'clock, call this one 'unmissable'. Mention of Darlington prompts a reminder...lunchtime, Saturday 6th, St Augustine's Parish Centre, the Mr Men featuring American pianist Jeff Barnhart and Britain's John Hallam. Always popular, best advice is to arrive in good time for a 12:30 start. 

Contemporary outfits bookend September; Sun 1st Sloth Racket call in at the Bridge Hotel, Newcastle, Artephis will be at the Globe, Sat 7th, Sat 28th NYC based Kurt Rosenwinkel's Bandit 65 rocks up at Sage Gateshead (expect guitarists from all four corners to be in the queue!) and twenty four hours later at the Globe guitarist Gero Schipmann co-leads a quartet with saxophonist Johannes Ludwig (both hail from Cologne) with two home-grown talents, Sam Leak and Max Luthert.

On Wed 18th Archipelago share a double bill with Freese Trio at Bobik’s in Jesmond, Newcastle. The first floor room above the recently reopened Punch Bowl pub has a full diary of gigs through to the end of the year with more contemporary jazz to come. A couple of days later Mark Williams opens the autumn season of gigs in Bishop Auckland promoted by Mick Shoulder at a new, temporary venue. The guitarist’s trio will be playing a set of standards at the Merry Monk pub on Friday 20th. The usual venue, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, is to undergo major refurbishment and is scheduled to reopen in 2020.

The ubiquitous Jeff Barnhart makes a swift return to Darlington to present a second silent film festival. Last year the American wowed a full house not only with his piano improvisation accompaniment but his film buff commentary. Popcorn compulsory, lights down 12:30, Sat 21st. From Darlington to Middlesbrough…on the evening of Sat 21 make a b-line for Middlesbrough Theatre to luxuriate in another audio-visual treat. James Pearson brings in his Ronnie Scott’s All Stars to tell the story of sixty years of Ronnie’s - Frith Street and Gerrard Street. Archive footage and stills and top drawer jazz, the show has been here before (Gateshead, Darlington) and its worth seeing again and again. Book a hotel for the night as you will want to be in Middlesbrough Town Hall all day Sunday (22nd) for the first in a new, monthly triple bill Sunday afternoon jazz session. September’s offering features Anthony Strong, Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat and Teesside’s Noel Dennis Trio (Dennis is a top class trumpeter). The programme into next year looks great, more in due course.

Finally, in what is a month of seriously good gigs, do get along to a late night (is 9:15pm late?) gig in the library within Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham on Saturday 21st. Nikki Iles, Karen Sharp & Friends (‘Friends’ being A-list bass and drums to be confirmed) provide the jazz element to this year’s Hexham Abbey Festival of Music and Arts. Autumn Leaves? September in the Rain? Can’t wait!

September 2019 North East gig list

Lunchtime gigs*

Sep 1 Sloth Racket Bridge Hotel, Newcastle NE1 1RQ

Sep 4 Frog and Henry Black Swan, Newcastle NE1 1SG

Sep 6 Northern Monkey Brass Band Gala Theatre, Durham DH1 1WA*

Sep 6 Sue Ferris Quintet St Cuthbert’s Centre, Crook DL15 9ND

Sep 7 Jeff Barnhart & John Hallam St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington DL3 7TG*  

Sep 7 Artephis The Globe, Newcastle NE4 7AD

Sep 10 Dave Hignett & Friends Fox Inn, Hexham NE46 3DB

Sep 11 Paul Edis & Graham Hardy Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee SR8 2RN*

Sep 13 Paul Edis Trio Lit & Phil, Newcastle NE1 1SE*

Sep 15 Bruce Adams & Paul Edis Trio Black Bull, Blaydon NE21 4JJ

Sep 17 Acoustic Infusion with Mighty Horns Forum Music Centre, Darlington DL1 1SG

Sep 18 Archipelago + Freese Trio Bobik’s, Newcastle NE2 3JY

Sep 19 Bradley Johnston Quartet St James’ & St Basil’s, Newcastle NE4 9EJ

Sep 20 Mark Williams Trio Merry Monk, Bishop Auckland DL1 4 7NP

Sep 21 Jeff Barnhart’s Silent Film Festival St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington DL3 7TG*

Sep 21 Ronnie Scott’s All Stars Middlesbrough Theatre TS5 6SA

Sep 21 Nikki Iles, Karen Sharp & Friends Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham NE46 3LS

Sep 22 Anthony Strong + Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat + Noel Dennis Trio Middlesbrough Town Hall TS1 2QJ

Sep 22 Fabled Bridge Hotel, Newcastle NE1 1RQ

Sep 24 JCM: In Memory of Jon Hiseman Forum Music Centre, Darlington DL1 1SG

Sep 25 Pannonica Jazz Café, Newcastle NE1 1SG*

Sep 26 ’58 Jazz Collective Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool TS24 7HH

Sep 28 James Birkett & Emma Fisk St Cuthbert’s Church, Shadforth DH6 1LF

Sep 28 Kurt Rosenwinkel: Bandit 65 Sage Gateshead NE8 2JR

Sep 29 Schipmann-Ludwig The Globe, Newcastle NE4 7AD

Sep 29 Joseph Carville Trio Devonport Hotel, Middleton One Row, Darlington DL2 1AS