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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.

Sunday, March 31, 2019

JRR & J to Z @ Free Thinking Festival, Sage Gateshead - March 30

(Review & sign picture by RussellMusician PHOTOS courtesy of Malcolm Sinclair)

It was an opportunity to think, freely, for free. For those who couldn't be bothered to think others were on hand to do it for them, for free. The eggheads came in all shapes and sizes...the traditional egghead, the jolly, the cool and then there was the audience...the egghead, the jolly, the vacant and, for two and a half hours at least, the cool, 'cool' because it was jazz time here at Sage Gateshead.

BBC Radio 3's annual pilgrimage north of the Watford Gap conjures an image of a deserted Broadcasting House as presenters, producers, assistants and assistants to assistants enjoy a 'jolly', sorry, work extremely hard, shining a Free Thinking light on the banks of the Tyne. Saturday afternoon offered two jazz programmes, back-to-back, broadcast live from Sage Gateshead to Radio 3's nationwide audience. 

Alyn Shipton is a welcome visitor returning once again to present Jazz Record Requests (4:00pm, as usual) followed by J to Z presented by the ebullient Jumoké Fashola. Of course there was plenty of 'up north' content across the two and a half hours and a half - not any old stuff, you understand, but the crème de la crème. JRR's usual format applied - Shipton introduced a listener's request, we, the audience, listened to it, Shipton introduced another request...simple but brilliant! 

Today's edition of your weekly appointment with JRR included live jazz from Jo Harrop, Paul Edis and Shipton himself - no mean bass player is Mr S! Cheek to Cheek sang Jo accompanied by the brilliant Edis, piano, and the multi-tasking Shipton reading the dots and reading his cues. Jo chose a track - Nancy Wilson singing Never Let Me Go with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Paul dedicated the Benny Green Trio's live (Village Vanguard) take on Don't Be 'Shamed to Ushaw College's Roger Kelly, and, to close the programme, the award-winning jazz blog editor of this BSH parish, LL (cue applause!), stepped up to request Jo, Paul and Alyn play I Wished on the Moon.    

Free Thinking eggheads contributed - Lisa Appignanesi requested Bessie Smith singing Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out, the Bard of Barnsley, Ian McMillan  selected The Peddlers' Lockshen Pudding (bassist Tab Martin hailed from Tyneside) and Jambone trumpet player Lucien Guest spoke to Mr Shipton about the region's music education scene in introducing Jo Harrop and Paul Edis performing Rome Wasn't Built in a Day.
 
Free Thinking headphones were available for those wishing to listen, without distraction, to the conversation emanating from Radio 3's pop-up studio. 

Mr Shipton negotiated a seamless hand-over as Jumoké Fashola took up the reins. Bang on five o'clock Sage Gateshead's Free Thinking audience emoted: Yeah! Are you listening out there in Radioland? Get this - the Graeme Wilson Quartet! Profane Drawings of Trees (check out James Hogg),  After School (Wilson dedicated the number to today's birthday girl, Isabel, two today!) and The Bold Sammy (check out the criminally neglected James Kelman) showcased one of the best bands on today's European jazz scene. 

Multi-reedsman Graeme Wilson made the trip from Edinburgh to his former Tyneside base to reunite with the A-Team  - Messrs Paul Edis (piano, keyboards, flute), Andy Champion (double bass, bass guitar, flute) and, your correspondent's favourite drummer (and percussionist!) Adam Sinclair. The quartet's performance was razor-sharp, solos top notch, Radio 3's listening millions couldn't have been other than impressed. Today's three numbers were taken from Graeme Wilson's latest recording Abscondit (www.gigmit.com/graeme-wilson-quartet).  

Tyneside works hard at promoting the best it has to offer and this afternoon's live broadcasts didn't do any harm at all. The sun shone, Sage Gateshead looked a picture, the place packed and, hopefully, BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival will return next year. This year's theme was 'Emotion', next year - who knows? One thing is for certain, Tyneside will be up for it.  

Russell

2 comments :

Liz said...

I loved it, especially the deserved mention for BSH! Jo delighted in Lance's request, great Saturday afternoon listening for those of us who couldn't actually be there.

Jerry said...

Wonderful afternoon!
Great pictures, Malcolm: thanks, Russell for the tips on Messrs. Kelman and Hogg - Graeme's enigmatic titles begin to make more sense (and I have added to my summer reading list in the process).
JERRY

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