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Bebop Spoken There

Spasmo Brown: “Jazz is an ice cream sandwich! It's the Fourth of July! It's a girl with a waterbed!”. (Syncopated Times, July, 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

17372 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 656 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (Sept. 17).

From This Moment On ...

September

Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 1:00-2:45pm. Free.
Sat 21: Vieux Carré Hot Four @ The Beehive, Hartley Lane, Earsdon Whitley Bay NE25 0SZ. 4:30pm-6:30pm.
Sat 21: Baghdaddies @ Two by Two, Albion Row, Byker, Newcastle NE6 1RQ. 6:00pm.
Sat 21: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 21: Jude Murphy & Alan Law @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sun 22: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Richard Herdman @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 22: Remy CB Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:30pm. Free. Remi, 2024 Newcastle Uni graduate, superb soul/blues voice!

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Paul Booth with the Paul Edis Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert! SOLD OUT!

Tue 24: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv. from Tully’s of Rothbury). Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 24: Sarah Gillespie @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £16.50. Duo performance with Chris Montague.

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Middlesbrough Theatre. 7:30pm.

Thu 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 26: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘Contemporary Jazz & the Piano’.
Thu 26: The New 58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 26: Jo Harrop & Friends @ Hexham Abbey. 8:00pm. ‘An Evening with Jo Harrop & Friends’. A Hexham Abbey Festival of Music & Arts event. £20.00., £5.00. child/student.
Thu 26: Neil Yates & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 26: Loco House Band @ Bar Loco, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 26: Tees Hot Club @ Dorma’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. Mark Toomey, Neil Brodie, Graham Thompson, Adrian Beadnell.

Fri 27: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 27: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:15-4:00pm. Free.
Fri 27: Nothing in Rambling @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £10.00. + bf. Upstairs. Acoustic blues duo + Michael Littlefield & Lyndon Anderson.
Fri 27: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Downstairs. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 27: Tim Bloomer Collective @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Fri 27: Jo Harrop @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 8:00pm. All-star line-up.
Fri 27: Faye MacCalman @ Jesmond Pool, Newcastle. 8:30pm. Tickets £6.00. from: www.seetickets.com. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & improvised Music event in association with Jesmond Pool. Note 16+ only.

Friday, March 20, 2009

The Music of Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn - Northern Sinfonia and Guests.

This was somewhat misleading to say the least. The guests actually comprised no less than the Guy Barker Orchestra, as well as Cleveland Watkiss, Brian Kellock and Tim Garland. The consensus in the bar area was that a lot more people would have elected to attend had they known Guy would have his band along- side the Sinfonia. However, there was a good crowd anyway which made me think that if just 10% of the audience made it to a local gig and paid 10% of tonight's ticket price then the scene would really be thriving! Never mind, back to the concert. Guy Barker took the rostrum and the Sinfonia, led by the impish Bradley Creswick, respectfully stood up, as did the jazz orchestra - after much coaxing and nudging.
Ellington's three part "Night Creature" got things underway and, as the sound of the symphonic strings engulfed me my immediate thought was that this is a superior film score. Then I realised the script had yet to be written that could match such a beautiful soundtrack.
Cleveland Watkiss sang "Lush Life" and "Caravan". He reminded me a little of Johnny Hartman without the richness although that could have been due to the sound system.
Brian Kellock, piano, came on and duetted with altoist Rosario Giuliani on "Chelsea Bridge". Guiliani had the unenviable role of Johnny Hodges and he was more convincing when he moved away from 'Rabbit's' shadow. Kellock played brilliantly.
"Harlem Suite" brought things to a powerful close with some fine trumpet from Byron Wallen and the 'longhairs' getting as close to swinging as they did all night.
During the interval, I chatted with former Newcastle Big Band Buddies Andy Hudson and Germaine Stanger and, in the absence of any photo opportunities in the hall, Jim McD took a shot of the three of us (I'm the guy in the middle under the hat - the other two are self explanatory).
The second half opened with "A Train" then Rosario did "Chelsea Bridge" on soprano and Tim Garland had the blast of the night on "UMMG" (Upper Manhattan Medical Group.) This was a quartet number with Brian Kellock on piano, Phil Donkin (bs) & Ralph Salmins (dms). Cleveland gave a melancholy take on "Daydream" before the grand finale - "Black, Brown and Beige" which may have lasted a little too long - but only a little!
All in all a very good concert with some spectacular highs and very few lows.
The audience loved it and applauded long and loud but no encore - what did they expect? The Sinfonia to busk "C Jam Blues"?
Just one niggling thought. What if, instead of the Sinfonia, they had hired another 41 jazz musicians? That really would have been a night to remember.
Lance

1 comment :

Anonymous said...

For the record, the Guy Barker Jazz Orchestra: Barker (conductor),
Rosario Giuliani, Graeme Blevins (alto), Tim Garland, Per (Texas), Johansson (ten), Phil Todd (bar).
Nathan Bray, Tom Rees Roberts, Byron Wallen, Pat White (tpts).
Mark Frost, Barnaby Dickinson, Alistair White (tmb). Jim Watson/Brian Kellock (pno). Phil Donkin (bs). Ralph Salmins (dms).

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