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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.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Jazz Café Jam Session - April 18

(Review by Lance).
This was the mother of all jam sessions, to quote a phrase, and I use the expression advisedly. This was like a jazz kindergarten the room bestrewn with proud parents appreciating the talents of the future Down Beat Poll Winners on stage. The parental pride was justified.
Never in the field of human conflict, which is what jam sessions are, has so much been owed to so few (in years that is).
Take the house trio, Minnie and Dan Stanley out of the equation and the average age must have been in the mid teens - incredible!
So much going on, a blow by blow account would require a War & Peace (or a Steve T) length review to do it justice so I'll merely make a few observations.
Matt MacKellar, we know has been accepted by Berklee in Boston, Mass. and deservedly so. On tonight's showing there could well be more.
Most of the players emerged from, or are a part of, the various bands and courses held at Sage Gateshead which says much for the quality of teaching there.
Great as the music was, a few more horns would have added to the variety - surely the first jam session ever without a plethora of saxophones jostling for position!
With the house trio spending most of the evening on the bench the music occasionally lacked the presence of a pivotal figure to organise beginnings and endings - one of the essentials of a jam session - and thus bring sense and sensibility without pride and prejudice to the goings on.
The more senior figures may have had a relatively easy night yet they still made their mark. John Pope snapped his G string (you couldn't make these things up) before they were under starters orders so played the gig on bass guitar. His intro, head and solo on Goodbye Pork Pie Hat was exemplary. Mark Williams set the bar for the guitarists who were to follow and likewise Russ Morgan for the drummers.
Minnie and Lin Lee warmed us up before the session proper with The Very Thought of You - no doubt preparing for their quartet gig on Sunday at Riding Mill Parish Hall (see RH column).
The two girls popped up again later in the jam proper.
I vowed not to single any one of the young players out but, a special mention must be made of Dylan Thompson. Is he 14 or 15? his talent belied his tender years. Russell said he looked like a young Clark Tracey. He sounded like one too!
This was quite a night!
Photos.
Lance.
Mark Williams (guitar); John Pope (bass guitar); Russ Morgan (drums) + Matthew MacKellar, Dylan Thompson, Matthew Fairhurst (drums); Joel Brown, Lin Lee Wong, Vince Webb, Ben Lawrence (piano); Michael Dunlop (bass guitar); Francis Tulip, Nathan Lawson, Matthew Downey, Dan Stanley (guitar); James Metcalf (trumpet); Minnie Fraser (vocal).


5 comments :

Anonymous said...

Anybody know any roofers? Apparently the jazz cafe needs a new one.

LL said...

Thanks for the mention Lance. It was an awesome jam with incredible standard of performances. Chick Corea's Spain was a real highlight. (Ps - It's Lin Lee by the way!:)

Lance said...

Sorry about that Lin - now corrected!

Minnie said...

I too was blown away by the young talent! That young lad Francis on the guitar was incredible! I hope they all come back and wow us again! :)

Steve T said...

As were Whiplash, Joel and the Pope, more fired up than I've ever seen him.
Who knows what makes the magic happen? Everything was in place, but everything often is but the magic still doesn't happen: the two hottest teenage Jazz musicians in the region in recent times, the new cat on the block and one of the grownups most in-tune with the kids, here, across the channel and the pond.

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