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Bebop Spoken There

Béla Fleck: “ And that's the great thing about live performances, you take people on a journey. It doesn't have to be like something else they've heard. It's not supposed to be". DownBeat, April, 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

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm.
Thu 28: Richard Herdman Quartet @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guests: Josh Bentham (alto sax); Alan Marshall (tenor sax); Neil Brodie (trumpet); Adrian Beadnell (bass); Graham Thompson (keys); Steve Hunter (drums).

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.

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.

Saturday, August 09, 2014

The Mark Williams Trio @ The Cherry Tree, August 4

Mark Williams (guitar); Andy Champion (double bass); Rob Walker (drums). (Review by JC).
By my reckoning the Cherry Tree has been running its free Monday night jazz sessions for at least five years and as far as I am aware, the sessions have taken place every Monday regardless of summer holidays and other events. This probably makes it the most consistent jazz session in the North East, which is no mean achievement. As I live just a couple of drumbeats away I have been there on quite a few occasions and have always had a good time both musically and gastronomically. I have heard all the best local and regional musicians in a variety of different bands some longstanding formations, others creatively brought together for the occasion. Also, musicians and singers from further afield pass through and often present a feast of great jazz.
So, bearing in mind the quality of the music, I have often mused to myself why more of the local jazz audience don't drop in from time to time. Although entrance is free, admittedly there is an expectation that people will eat and drink something while they are there. But with two courses for £16 and a couple of drinks it should be possible to keep the bill to about 25 quid. Then again maybe jazz enthusiasts figure that a restaurant with jazz equals bland, background music. Nothing could be further from the truth and the group tonight illustrated this beautifully.
The flyer said the Mark Williams Trio but the MW Super Trio would have been more like it. What a line-up! Any of these musicians can (and do) play free improv, scorching modern jazz, jazz prog-rock, beautiful lyrical ballads and their own compositions, and at least two had recently returned from performing at the Manchester Jazz Festival and other concerts further south. From the off it seemed clear that the tunes were carefully chosen for their melodic qualities and the opportunities they allowed for each of the band to explore their possibilities. Williams' guitar work had a beautiful bell-like tone with gently assertive runs and sweet chord sequences. Rob Walker sat in his usual pleasantly sphinx-style pose, which belies the intricate rhythms on the drums produced by his hands. On double bass, as always, Andy Champion wove intricate patterns around the basic bass notes. On one tune he played a long solo introduction, setting out and extending the tune's melody almost like the lead instrument. Some of the tunes were familiarly unfamiliar to me but that didn't matter, as it was the sound and the interplay between the musicians that was sumptuous. Others I could put a name to, like My One and Only Love, a fabulous version of My Favourite Things with a brilliantly subtle solo from Rob Walker. But the standout was Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, as it happens my parents 'special song', which was exquisitely played with Williams delicately bending the strings to send wisps of sound into the air.
Jazz fans give yourselves a treat, get along to the Cherry Tree.
JC

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