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Bebop Spoken There

David Hadju: "It was kind of a lightning bolt [seeing a photo of a hi-fi store that's now occupied by a phone store]. Everyone had hi-fi systems, now everyone has a phone" - (DownBeat May 2023).

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!"

Postage

15478 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 499 of them this year alone and, so far, 120 this month (May 27).

From This Moment On ...

May 2023

Sun 28: Bradley Creswick's Western Swingfonia @ Whitley Bay Carnival. Free. Plaza Arena stage. 12 noon.
Sun 28: MSK @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 12:15pm. Free. Marquee stage. MSK - Steve Glendinning, Katy Trigger, Martin Douglas.
Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited @ The Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Back Chat Brass @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 1:30pm. Free. Marquee stage.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary's Church, Wooler NE71 6BZ. 3:00pm. £15.00 standard; £5.00 student/unwaged; free under 18. Afternoon Cocktail, a Wooler Summer Arts' concert promotion. Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Back Chat Brass @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 3:00pm. Free. Plaza Arena stage.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 28: King Bees @ The Delaval Arms, Old Hartley NE26 4RL. 5:00pm. Free. Chicago blues at its best!
Sun 28: Matt Anderson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Anderson (saxophones); Jamil Sheriff (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Dave Walsh (drums).

Mon 29: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 30: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 30: Big Chris Barber Band @ Whitley Bay Playhouse. 7:30pm.

Wed 31: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 31: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 31: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 31: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

June
Thu 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 01: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Donations.
Thu 01: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 01: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: Joseph Carville Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 02: Claire Martin & Her Trio @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £25.00., £20.00. Feat. Jim Mullen, Alex Garnett & Jeremy Brown.
Fri 02: Guy Davis + Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm. Blues double bill.
Fri 02: Anders Ingram @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. Country blues. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

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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