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Bebop Spoken There

Simon Spillett: “ Bebop and hard bop came naturally to him [Tubby Hayes]". Morning Star, March 28, 2024.

The Things They Say!

Hudson Music: Lance's "Bebop Spoken Here" is one of the heaviest and most influential jazz blogs in the UK.

Rupert Burley (Dynamic Agency): "BSH just goes from strength to strength".

'606' Club: "A toast to Lance Liddle of the terrific jazz blog 'Bebop Spoken Here'"

The Strictly Smokin' Big Band included Be Bop Spoken Here (sic) in their 5 Favourite Jazz Blogs.

Ann Braithwaite (Braithwaite & Katz Communications) You’re the BEST!

Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music: "Lance writes pull quotes like no one else!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.

Postage

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 29: True Colours @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 9:00pm. Blues, jazz & swing.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 04: FILM: Soul @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 2:00pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Thu 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 04: Funky Drummer @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 04: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 04: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Latin Carnival Beats at The Sage

Last Wednesday I found myself drumming Latin/jazzy/carnival beats with the Silver programme for our 2 hour Carnival Explosion concert. We had a full house in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall and the audience appeared to be delighted by the performance. Samba drumming is great fun, energetic and noisy.

A samba band consists of large freestanding drums called surdos; snare drums; Timbale drums, which are a bit like African drums and are played with the hands; agogo bells; and tamborins, which are like tambourines, but played with a plastic stick. Can’t you almost hear the Brazilian beats from the description? The tunes consist of grooves (like the chorus of a song) and breaks (a bit like a verse). Drumming beats can be remembered by unlikely phrases such as ‘I like butter on my potato’. And how do we know what to play when? I’m not telling as that’s a secret code between us and our leaders, Phil and Nick. There’s lots of call and response between the leaders and the band, which gives the leader a chance to improvise on his snare drum.
We played 2 tunes, Samba Reggae and Samba Kala with the band and the concert also included us on steel pans, which is such a beautiful sound and the tunes have lovely Caribbean names such as ‘Coconut Woman’. So get out that old oil drum from your shed to make your own. Instructions telling you how to hammer out the drum to get the different notes are on the internet. I kid you not.
We also played large marching drums called Boomdang drums, which were invented by a man from Cumbria, and we ended the concert by playing tuned percussion such as marimbas and xylophones, in a tune with the delightful title of ‘Final Blessings’.
The concert also included 2 absolutely great bands of younger people. ‘Rhythm Nation’, a group of young boys and teenagers, played complex samba with one lad on the standard drum kit, obviously a jazz drummer in the making. The announcements were given by an efficient lad who looked about nine years old. The talent of these youngsters is frightening. The other guest band, whose name I didn’t catch, was a marching drum band of 7 players. I say marching but some of it was close to dancing, with heads bobbing alternately, a great sense of fun and lots of noise.
Catch our next performance, whenever it is. Not exactly jazz, but enough jazz-like elements for jazz fans to enjoy.
Ann Alex.

1 comment :

Debra said...

Regarding 'the jazz drummer in the making' .... that would be my boy Gabriel!

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