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Bebop Spoken There

Steve Fishwick: “I can’t get behind the attitude that new is always somehow better than old” - Jazz Journal, April 15, 2019,

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...

Postage

16034 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1041 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 27).

From This Moment On ...

December

Sun 03: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:30pm. £7.50.
Sun 03: The Central Bar Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. The Central Bar Quartet plays Lou Donaldson’s Gravy Train. Featuring Jamie Toms.
Sun 03: Paul Skerritt @ Smith’s Arms, Carlton, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:00pm.
Sun 03: Johnny Hunter Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 03: Jam session @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.

Mon 04: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 04: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ People’s Kitchen, Bath Lane, Newcastle. From 5:30pm. On-street gig supporting the work of the People’s Kitchen charity. Wrap up warm! Donate!
Mon 04: Michael Young Trio w Lindsay Hannon @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £8.00.
Mon 04: Durham University Jazz Orchestra + Durham University Big Band @ Durham Castle DH1 3RW. 8:30pm. £6.00.; £5.00. concs; £4.00. DSM. ‘Jazzy Christmas’.

Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ All Saints Church, Cleadon. 7:00pm. Concert in the church hall. BYOB.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Sid White. The best free show in town!

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Free. Note later start time, concert performance (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Newcastle. 12 noon - 4:00pm. £26.00 (inc 3-course meal in in St Mary's Lighthouse Suite). SOLD OUT!
Thu 07: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 07: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.Donations. Feat. Mark Sanders.
Thu 07: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00. Downstairs.
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Woodland Village Hall, Bishop Auckland. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Fri 08: Sleep Suppressor + Redwell @ Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv); £5.00. student.
Fri 08: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert's Church, Shadforth, Co. Durham.
Fri 08: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £8.00.

Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Abbie Finn Trio @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm.
Sat 09: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Middleton & Todridge Village Hall, Morpeth. 7:30pm. £12.00., £6.00.
Sat 09: Paul Skerritt @ Slaley Hall, Hexham NE47 0BX. 7:30pm. From £42.00.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A Schmazz Night to Remember @ The Cluny - The Patrick Kunka Quartet.

Leah Gough-Cooper (alt/sop), Alan Benzie (kbd), Dylan Coleman (bs), Patrick Kunka (dms).
There have been many memorable nights at The Cluny and it has to be said that this last night was one of them - and for all the right reasons. Given that the four musicians are Boston based students of the Berklee College of Music or the New England Conservatory - the former being possibly the most prestigious jazz based music college in the world - it was inconceivable that they would be anything other than brilliant.
They were quadruple-brilliant at least!
Playing originals, mainly, but not all, from the pen of Kunka, plus a fine exploration of Coltrane's "Equinox", they delivered a powerful performance that bears comparision with anything that I've seen/heard at the Cluny. It was compelling stuff that rolled from the stage and totally engulfed the large audience in sheets of sound.
Leah Gough-Cooper, the name may conjure up an image of a viola player in a twee string quartet but the reality is completely different, the lady is simply one of the best alto players around anywhere. She delivered the goods lock, stock and two smoking barrel's firing phenomenal runs that took my breath away. A native of Scotland, we can thank our lucky stars she opted for sax instead of the bagpipes - imagine!
On piano, another Scot, Alan Benzie, also gave a virtuoso performance. His percussive style kept the tension at an all-time high as the Yamaha CP Series keyboard manfully withstood the beating - this guy can play. His solos challenged Leah's with their seemingly limitless flow of creativity.
Massachusetts own Dylan Coleman underpinned the procedings effectively as well as having meaningful solos. No mere walkman, Dylan's basslines were interwoven into Alan Benzie's solos with both sympathy and contrast. They were an outstanding duo as well as being an integral part of the unit.
This just leaves the leader - Patrick Kunka.
Patrick impressed, not just with his technical prowess; as funky or as swinging as the moment demanded, but also his arrangements and compositions. They were creative and imaginative whilst his drumming gave the band the lift it needed to sustain the high level of mindblowing solo bursts. His solos, never mere flashy displays, but forceful efforts that pushed the tension to almost unbearable heights. The adrenalin pump was at double max tonight.
For an encore, "What is This Thing Called Love?" proved the band's adaptability. Dave Weisser, sitting across from me, compared Leah's playing to that of Kenny Garrett and I don't think he was far wrong. This was a night to remember alright - one helluva night!
Lance.

7 comments :

Russell said...

Hi Lance

A truly great gig. The best I can remember at Schmazz.

Russell

jazzpazpanda said...

Lance
I have had the pleasure of seeing the Patrick Kunka Quartet perform in Massachusetts. This quartet is the real deal... full of excitement and surprise. I wish I had been able to see this show, but your review was the next best thing. Thanks!

Patrick Kunka said...

Thanks for the wonderful review.

byased said...

There's a better quality video (originally from the Aberdeen Evening Express) available from a gig at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen.

Wish I'd got to one of their shows: the clips are pretty impressive.

scrabbler said...

I hope to hear and see more of this excellent quartet.

jazzpazpanda said...

Scrabbler, if you want to hear more, the PKQ has released a cd. The only site I have found the Patrick Kunka Quartet CD,The Edge, available is at http://www.jazzcds.co.uk

Can't wait to listen to it in its entirety!

Unknown said...

I saw this lot at a gig in Cambridge, Massachusetts, back in May and I was also at the Cluny. I thought they were very impressive the first time and the extra experience on the road since then has forged them into a very fine unit indeed. Hope their next trip this side of the Pond takes in the Cluny again - well done Schmazz.

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