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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!

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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!

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

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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.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Adam Stapleford – Drum Kit. Final Recital @ New Music Studios, Newcastle University. May 15

(Review by Russell).
A highlight of Tyneside’s musical year is the series of recital performances given by music students at Newcastle University. Open to the public, these occasions are always memorable – after all there is much at stake. Are the students terrified? Do they request a last meal? Do they say their goodbyes? If so, Bebop Spoken Here correspondents have yet to see any signs of terror, nerves or foreboding.
At the appointed time (6:00 pm) drummer Adam Stapleford entered the examination room, The place was packed – fellow students, friends, well-wishers and at the back…the examiners. Stapleford is a gigging musician, notably in the trio Taupe (the self-styled power jazz commando team). He wasn’t nervous, no way! He welcomed everyone, took time to talk about each of the five pieces he would play and invited Jamie Stockbridge (alto) and Mike Parr-Burman (guitar) to join him on stage (JS and MPB are the other two thirds of Taupe). Ear plugs were handed out (no kidding), your BSH correspondent declined the use of them, knowing it was going to be loud, thrillingly so!   
Ultradian (comp. Taupe) began the recital. Stapleford’s helpful notes read: This piece starts with a bang, and doesn’t really let up from there on in…They blew them away! For the music student the piece was inspired by: a complex Carnatic (South Indian) rhythmic technique… JS and MPB went for a lie down as Stapleford performed his own composition  Making sense (music students would make sense of the West African polyrhythms). The trio played more complex stuff on Coupling (comp. Taupe), things were going well. The penultimate piece – Cachitos (comp. Stapleford) – heard the examinee solo, examining rhythmic styles found in Venezuelan folk music. Stapleford had his kit positioned side on to enable the audience (and examiners) to see what was going on below decks, his feet working the pedals at a rate of knots (bass drum, two hi-hats and bolted-on cowbells). How he did it is beyond mere mortals. Huge applause. One sensed he was home and dry. The trio reunited for the final piece. Lash (comp. Taupe). This is the band’s party piece. ACV’s Without Bones is one of the great listening experiences, Lash is Taupe’s. Stapleford knew it had gone well. Ten out of ten! It wouldn’t come as a surprise if the boys went out on the lash.
For the record - Adam Stapleford – Drum Kit. Major Specialist Studies: Final Recital. Tutor Geoff Hutchinson 
Footnote – Jamie Stockbridge (alto saxophone) said his own Finals’ recital went well at the short straw time of 9:05 am. He then went for breakfast. 
Russell.

1 comment :

GUSTAV THOMAS said...

Enjoyed this review, Russell - and speaking as one of the examiners, I can tell you he was pretty much 'home & dry' indeed. Can I recommend you come along to Blue Rinse at Bar Loco this Thursday (29th)? Adam will be performing with his free trio alongside John Pope (double-bass) and Dario Lozano-Thornton (guitar). Dario was one of the Impossibility Knox performance on Thursday last. There'll also be an appearance by Taupe's Mike Parr-Burman in a duo with Charlie Bramley. As a bonus you can catch duo Yeah You delivering 20 mins of totally improvised electro-pop that combines rugged grooves with acerbic socio-theosophical concrete invective...

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