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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Monday, May 27, 2013

CD Review: Moss Project: What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes?

Moss Freed (composer, bandleader, guitar); Ruth Goller (acoustic/electric bass); Alice Zawadzki (vocals/violin); Shabaka Hutchings (tenor sax/bass clarinet); Marek Dorcik (drums)
The writers: Naomi Alderman (The Bubble); Colum McCann (Anniversary); James Miller (What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes); Lawrence Norfolk (Caravans); Joe Dunthorne (Freud And Jung In The Tunnel Of Love); Hanan al-Shaykh (The Angel)
(Review by Ann Alex.)
This started out as a CD of original compositions which developed into a whole project which involves an attractive booklet with writing by distinguished modern authors and skilled evocative artwork by Aaron Munday.  To get the most enjoyment out of this work, it would be a good idea to set aside 2 hours to read the stories and poem, besides listening to the music.  Or why not do as I did, and listen to the music and readings at the same time?  LondonJazzNews was lucky enough to be at the launch on March 6, which involved a live performance – see www.mossfreed.com for an account of that, where you can also hear the writing read out by the authors.  Another listener that I consulted, who is an ardent jazz fan, said that he actually enjoyed reading the booklet more than the music, so it seems that you pays your money and you takes your choice!
The music is highly impressionistic and lies somewhere between jazz and contemporary folk, with lots of wordless sweet-voiced singing, skilled musicianship, (goes without saying).  The music doesn’t describe the stories exactly but is near enough to make sense of the two together.  You'll find lots of long sweeps of sound, percussive beats repeated by the voice, ethereal sounds, sometimes an intriguing ‘free’ jazz feel, an organised cacophony, with a few jazz solos as such.  Hard to describe, you must hear it for yourself.
The Bubble is an amusing tale of a woman with a bubble inside herself and the music is full of bouncy rhythm.  The author reads in a refreshing down to earth voice, none of that special ‘poetical’ voice adopted by some readers of poems. Anniversary is a more serious tale of a woman in church, and What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes is about a woman trying to get to sleep, but really much more than that. Caravans concerns pub quizzes and friendship, and I had difficulty in understanding the poem about Freud and Jung.  The Angel was definitely my favourite piece of writing, a heartwarming but unsentimental story about a heroin addict, with a surprise ending, well matched by the music.
An enjoyable multi-faceted experience, a CD which should probably be listened to more than once.
Released on the Babel Label, catalogue number BDV131114

Ann Alex 

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