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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

16273 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 155 of them this year alone and, so far, 27 this month (Mar 13).

From This Moment On ...

March

Fri 15: The Vieux Carré Jazzmen - mayoral naming ceremony @ the new North Shields Transport Hub, Railway Terrace, North Shields NE29 6RS. Showtime 9.45 - 11.30am.
Fri 15: Mark Williams Trio @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Durham University Jazz Orchestra @ Concert Room, Music Dept., Palace Green, Durham University. 7:00pm. £7.00.; £6.00. concs; £5.00. DSM. ‘A Night in New York’.
Fri 15: Swing Manouche @ Seventeen Nineteen, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm.
Fri 15: Jive Aces @ Customs House, South Shields. 7:30pm.
Fri 15: Funkkastle @ Bily Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Blues & Bourbon, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 16: Hot Club du Nord @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:00pm.
Sat 16: Tony Hadley: The Big Swing Tour 2024 @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 7:30pm.
Sat 16: Side Café Orkestar @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 16: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Chopwell Community Centre, Chopwell NE17 7HS. 8:00pm.
Sat 16: Hot Club du Nord @ Warkworth Memorial Hall. 7:00pm.

Sun 17: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 17: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:00pm.
Sun 17: Luis Verde @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Verde, John Pope & Abbie Finn. Alto sax brilliance!

Mon 18: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 18: James Birkett & Bradley Johnston @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £8.00. at the door. Guitar virtuosi!

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.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Album Review: Jonny Mansfield Quartet - Live at Pizza Express (Resonant Postcards)

Jonny Mansfield (vibraphone); Will Barry (piano); Will Sach (bass); Luke McCarthy (drums).

Jonny Mansfield’s 2023 album, The Air In Front Of You was an enigmatic foray onto the edges of classical and jazz music; a third stream that could have been labelled dinner jazz. I expected more of the same from this album but, having replaced the violin and cello voices that featured on the studio album we have a more conventional jazz sound here. Similarly, although this is, I assume a date from the flog the album tour for The Air…  only Flicker  and The Air itself have made the cut here.

Sue Ferris Quintet @ King's Hall, Newcastle University - March 14

Sue Ferris (tenor sax/flute): Graham Hardy (trumpet/flugel); Ben Lawrence (piano); Andy Champion (bass); John Bradford (drums)

Four of the north east's big hitters and an expat from Cumbria in the form of Ben Lawrence, who's also making waves, made this a win win gig.

How could it not be? All five are at the top of their game blowing like the King's Hall was Birdland back in the day and, back in the day, these five could have held their own - if they'd been born back then!

Still, just as you don't have to be born in Salzburg to interpret Mozart nor do you have to be 'shooting up' in a downtown Manhattan apartment to pay tribute to Horace Silver, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, these guys did the biz.

Sue Ferris - King's Hall & an album!

Saxophonist/flautist Sue Ferris takes her quintet to King's Hall today. It's a 1:15pm start in Armstrong Building, Newcastle University. It's free admission. And, what's more, at long last Sue has an album in the pipeline! Russell

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Mark Williams Trio THIS FRIDAY (March 15)

There seems to be some confusion over this Friday's sold out lunchtime concert by the Mark Williams Trio at the Lit and Phil. It was, originally scheduled for March 22 but, as announced by organiser Russell at previous gigs, the concert was rescheduled for this Friday (March 15) so please spread the word otherwise some ticket holders could turn up a week too late. Lance

Lewis Watson Quartet @ Newcastle House, Rothbury - March 12

Lewis Watson (tenor sax); Mark Williams (guitar); Andy Champion (bass); John Bradford (drums)

Normally, when I’m off out to listen to some jazz, I set my compass for the south east and head to the bright lights of the greater Tyne & Wear metropolis. Not so on this cool (in so many ways) evening when a quick 180 degree re-calibration found me heading for the ancient town of Rothbury for the third presentation by Coquetdale Jazz at the Newcastle House.

The first issue was obtaining a ticket. The handbills and adverts advise that tickets are available from Tully’s Delicatessen. Having no trips to Rothbury planned I feared that this would be local jazz for local people and only people from the valley would be welcome. Contact through the Facebook page secured me a seat without the need to produce evidence of residency.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Book review: Kazuo Ishiguro - The Summer we Crossed Europe in the Rain

A book of lyrics by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro to accompany the songs composed by Stacey Kent's husband Jim Tomlinson and featured on her latest album, that of the above name.

The author raises the question as to how effective is a lyric without the music? Without that seductive melody and sympathetic harmony, do the words on their own tell a story?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The important thing is, do they tell a story long after the music is forgotten? Are they inseparable? Lester Young said they were, Art Pepper said they weren't. I guess that if you're playing a ballad they are but if you're playing Cherokee at twice the speed of light they aren't.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Matthew Forster Quartet @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth - March 11

Matthew Forster (tenor sax); Ben Lawrence (piano); John Pope (double bass); Adam Stapleford (drums)

A Matthew Forster Quartet gig is what could be described as 'occasional'. A debut performance at the 2023 Newcastle Jazz Festival, a sold out January Lit & Phil lunchtime concert and today, a lunchtime concert at the thriving Yamaha Music School in Blyth. 

Munch Manship Quartet @ the Railway, Stockport - March 10

(© Jeff Pritchard)
Munch Manship (tenor sax/flute); Richard Wetherall (keyboards); Dave Lynane (bass); Brian Costello (drums) + Steve Childs (tenor sax).

Every time Munch plays this venue, if you want to get a good seat you'd better arrive early because he always attracts a sizeable crowd of followers young and old. What is the reason for his popularity I ask myself? It could be the fact that he is good at connecting with his audience and is also great at picking an interesting selection of numbers like he did tonight.  His regular drummer Dave Hassell couldn’t make it and in his place was Brian Costello who I recall hearing on a couple of gigs I attended but those were many moons ago. He impressed me with his forceful work on both sticks and brushes and worked well with his rhythm section colleague Dave Lynane who was his usual rock-solid self.

Preview: James Birkett & Bradley Johnston (Blaydon Jazz Club - Mon. 18 March)

This time next week (Monday 18 March) guitar virtuosi James Birkett and Bradley Johnston will be heading to the Black Bull to help launch the 40th anniversary year of Blaydon Jazz Club! Tyneside's longest running jazz club has an amazing series of concerts in the pipeline and there's no better way to start the year than with a concert by two of Blaydon Jazz Club's most loyal supporters. James has been a friend of Blaydon for decades, Bradley a decade or so. Do join James and Bradley for an eight o'clock start, £8.00. admission at the door. Russell

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Album review: Julie Kelly - Freedom Jazz Dance

Julie Kelly (vocals); Josh Nelson (piano); Larry Koonse (guitar); Luca Alemanno (bass); Dan Schnelle (drums); Aaron Serfaty (perc.); Danny Janklow (sax/flute) + Andrew Synowiec (guitar tk 7).

The ninth album by Californian singer Kelly is, if that is possible, even better than album number eight HAPPY TO BE - which I reviewed back in 2014. No that's wrong. With a singer like Kelly there's no such thing as 'better'. When you've heard one you want to hear the others. Were we advertising biscuits the adjective 'moreish' would predominate.

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