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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.

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Jazz Café Jam Session - May 3.











Pete Gilligan (keys); Paul Grainger (bs); Russ Morgan (dms) + Paul Gowland (alt); Omid Ramak (dms); Jordan Alfonso (alt); Charlie Philp (gtr); Colm Rooney (pno); Dimitore? (dms); Ian Forbes (dms); Minnie Fraser (vcl).
(Review by Lance).
It must be five years or so since Omid Ramak and Colm Rooney last showed up at the Jazz Café. In the meantime, both had added considerable facial hair to the point that I failed to initially recognise either. Ramak, preparatory to taking the Queen's Shilling (enlisting), has an almost Machiavellian appearance whilst Rooney could have passed as a younger version of the Venerable Crombie.
Colm came through the ranks of Rocket Science, Jambone and SSBB before moving on to pastures new and Omid, during his tenure in Newcastle, made several attempts to set up jazz venues in and around town before he too moved south. Good to see them back albeit probably only on an ephemeral basis.
The jam wasn't as crowded as normal although there was enough in to retain the usual ambience.
As ever, the house trio got things rolling with Gilligan operating a keyboard that seemed to have as many controls as a DC10. Fortunately, they were used sensibly and sparingly and his solo on Make Someone Happy certainly made the listeners happy. Just Friends had some well-integrated 4s twixt piano and drums with Morgan's brushwork exquisite.
Paul Gowland took centre stage for I Hear a Rhapsody and Omid occupied the drum stool. Rather than the seemingly obligatory round of 4s we had 8s which, to my mind, makes more sense.
Once in a While was balladic perfection with Gowland throwing in a few Parker licks along with a lot of his own. Nice...
A change around saw Alfonso on alto, Charlie Philp on guitar, Colm on piano and Dimitore on drums.
Autumn Leaves and Now's the Time were safely negotiated before Ian Forbes added a lighter touch to All of Me and that good old jam session favourite - All the Things You Are. On Green Dolphin St with Colm, Omid, Philp, Gowland and Grainger (a tower of strength all evening with no bass players to give him a spell) led to Minnie Fraser combining with two-thirds of her Moochers (Gilligan and Grainger) for Stardust and Fascinating Rhythm, both complete with verse. Fascinating as it was, I had to head across town for the number 27 which waits for no one and tonight was no exception. Still it was worth the taxi fare to have such an enjoyable evening.
Lance.

2 comments :

Unknown said...

Thanks Lance,

it was a pleasure to actually catch you on the way out to say hello this time! Just an fyi, my last name doesn't have an 's' at the end. Thanks for doing this blog and keeping us all updated on everything Jazz,

Regards,
Charlie Philp

Lance said...

Sorry Charlie, I thought I'd got it right when I missed out the extra L and the I - still, it's now corrected and that's nothing compared to the names people call me!

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