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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, September 22, 2018

Babelfish @ The Jazz Café, Newcastle – Sept. 20

Brigitte Beraha (vocals); Barry Green (piano); Chris Laurence (bass); Paul Clarvis (drums)
(Review by Steve H/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew). 
A rainy night in Newcastle was brightened up considerably by my attendance at this rather charming gig. Brigitte Beraha is a very versatile singer with a wide range of styles ranging from free improvisation to more conventional straight-ahead singing.
The Babelfish project casts her more in the latter genre but there was still plenty of room left to improvise and use her voice as an additional instrument rather just a reproducer of lyrics. Being multilingual we were also treated to songs in both Italian and Spanish.
Babelfish’s repertoire consists of original compositions from co-band founder Barry Green and Beraha herself as well as standards such as Chasing Rainbows (the title of their second album). During the interval, I discussed with another member of the audience as to how I wasn’t keen on the mix of folk and jazz. Lo and behold, the second set featured a version of Benjamin Britten’s adaptation of the folk song The Stream in the Valley, which did nothing to change my opinion that jazz and folk go together like Marmite and candyfloss.
Several of the self-penned tunes were related to poems and novels such as Hobi, a character in the Donna Tart novel The Goldfinch, and It May Not Always Be So - an E.E Cummings love poem.  
Contents aside the most enthralling part of the evening was the way the band jelled so effortlessly with one and other. Paul Clarvis is a wonderful sympathetic percussionist and the playing of veteran bass player Chris Laurence was worth the price of admission alone. Beautiful and subtle with a gorgeous tone made even more impressive by the fact that the instrument he was playing was his ‘travelling’ double bass. The spike had the unfortunate habit of collapsing every so often.
A richly deserved encore was called for and appropriately the band played their eponymous tune Babelfish to close the evening. Sadly, there were no rainbows to chase on the way home as the rain came pouring down but the quality of the evening more than compensated for my unwanted soaking.
Ken Drew's photo album.
Steve H.

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