Total Pageviews

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.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Tweed River Jazz Band @ Maguire's, Berwick upon Tweed - July 17.

(Review/photo by Peter Ninnim.)
As Brenda and I were in Berwick we were pleased to hear from Brian Martin, of the Music Gallery, that The Tweed River Jazz Band was playing at Maguire’s Bar which is set in nearby Ord Country Park.
Maguire’s is a large venue, with a cross section of ages listening and dancing. Nice to see children being exposed to live music, and jazz at that.
The Tweed River played an interesting programme, and as I do not pretend to be a New Orleans fan, I was delighted to find myself enjoying this so much. There are no weak links in the band despite the unusual instrumentation viz 81-year-old Peter Roughead on trumpet, tenor Sax and vocals; John Faragher on clarinet, Lucy Cowan on violin, Ruth Alder Bateman on piano and vocals, Brian Martin on Banjo, Brian Smith on double bass and Les Turnbull on grums. It worked well. I was a bit nonplussed about the violin but I was so wrong! What a player! I thought that I could hear a wee bit of a folk influence or maybe some gypsy jazz, whatever, the lovely melodic lines that she played worked well.
Arriving, midway through the first set, the audience were already warmed up and calling out requests. Sweet Lorraine; I Want a Little Girl… This Love of Mine closed the first half and I had a chance to chat with Peter Roughead. He tells me that the band plays for their own enjoyment and for charity; they have raised £34,000 for the British Heart Foundation in the years since it was formed in 1985. He also told me about the man who came up to him in the interval a few weeks ago and said that he wanted to give £1000.00 for their collection. Peter told him to go away and think about it but sure enough the chap came back and that night’s collection went up by £1000.00; a big feature in the Berwick Advertiser followed. Peter spent years travelling backwards and forwards to New Orleans listening and playing with the city’s musicians. In 1988 he was made a Freeman of New Orleans. This dedication is overwhelmingly clear in his playing, clear incisive lead trumpet straight out of the Big Easy.
 The second set kicked off with Georgia on my Mind, and other highlights were High Society, Baby Face and a really nice song that was new to me - Louisiana Fairy-tale. Many of these tunes featured vocals either by Peter or by Ruth but it was hard to keep up as the hall was full and the audience making lots of happy noise! However the highlight of the set for me - and maybe everyone - was His Eye is on the Sparrow. A gospel song forever associated with Ethel Waters. Ruth sang unaccompanied through the first verse and then a long pause, audience now very quiet, until the band, guided in by the boss, made this a stunning performance.
Baby Won’t You Please Come Home When the Saints go Marching in and then, almost as an afterthought, a very enthusiastically played Ice Cream! Have no idea where/when I last heard that! What a great ending. Looking forward to seeing them again.
Brenda and I had a really happy night listening to a great band!
Peter Ninnim
PS They play somewhere every Sunday! Next week Beadnell.

No comments :

Blog Archive