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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 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

15260 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 279 of them this year alone and, so far, 92 this month (March 29).

From This Moment On ...

March

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 31: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 1:00pm. Due to phenomenal demand, extra tickets released - gig now in the theatre. Book at: www.bishopaucklandtownhall.org.uk
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. CANCELLED! Back next week (April 7).
Fri 31: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 31: Jasmine Myra + Waclaw Zimpel @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 31: The Revolutionaires @ The Shack, Boldon Colliery. 7:30pm. £10.00. The Revolutionaires' big band (horn section) line-up.
Fri 31: Andrew McCormack @ Maltings, Berwick. 8:00pm. £20.00.

April
Sat 01: The Big Easy @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 01: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Steve Glendinning - In a Minor Key. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 01: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington Covered Market, Darlington DL1 5PN. 6:00pm. New venue, live jazz!
Sat 01: Jambone @ Sage Gateshead. 7:00pm. Free (book online). A YMP! event in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 01: Jude Murphy & Dan Stanley @ Prohibtion Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Sat 01: Boys of Brass @ Stack, Seaburn. 7:00-9:00pm.
Sat 01: Hot Club du Nord @ Pleased to Meet You, Bridge St., Morpeth. 8:00pm. £79.00. A charity fundraising event.
Sat 01: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00. RESCHEDULED to next week (Sat 08).

Sun 02: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny. 12:45pm.
Sun 02: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.

Mon 03: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 04: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 04: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Bradley Johnston (guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums).

Wed 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 05: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 05: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 05: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

A Star is Born - Harley Johnson and Take It To The Bridge @ the Chilli

Harley Johnson (pno), Jim Crinson (bs), Eric Stutt (dms), Paul Gowland (ten), Dave Weisser (tpt/vcl). + Barry Ashcroft (pno), Nicola Weaver (alt), Solly Bashiri (dms).
It was billed as the Harley Johnson Trio but in fact it was a quintet and a very good one too!
Hearing Harley, not quite 18, going through the Monk 'songbook' brought to mind the youthful emergence of the late Peter Jacobson back in the 1960s. Both appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and both combined technique with a disregard for convention. I'm not saying that Harley has reached the Jacobson milestone yet but I feel he is getting closer and closer with each chorus.
Whether he's doing the right thing in being so Monk centred remains to be seen - what is certain is that nobody does it better - at least not in Heaton, Eton or Nuneaton on a Wednesday night.
Eric Stutt and Harley seem to have developed a rapport that makes for some scintillating counterpoint between piano and drums whilst Jim Crinson on bass was the perfect harmonic anchor.
After an exploratory solo version of "Monk's Mood" the band kicked in on "I Mean You", "Evidence", "Ask Me Now", "In Walked Bud", "Blue Monk" & "Well You Needn't".
Out front, Paul Gowland played breathtaking solos hurdling over the changes with ease - he really is an amazing player and not averse to extending the range of the tenor with some extraordinary harmonics.
By contrast, Dave's muted horn stayed within the bounds of convention, his gentle flow of expression blending nicely with the aura of 52nd Street that engulfed the bandstand -- he blew good. "Ask Me Now" wavered at times - it really is a bitch of a tune to play - but Dave's vocal came through okay.
Earlier, Dave had vocalised effectively on "I'll Never Be The Same".
The final jam saw Solly on drums and Nicola - two posts in a row - on alto joining Paul and Dave for "All The Things" and "Stella".
Quite a night - I can't wait for Harley's 19th birthday bash!
Lance.
Next week: Scotty Adair & Steve Whitfield + mystery vocalist(s).

1 comment :

shepherdlass said...

What a great night for all; Harley's amazing. - Had a chat with Russell and showed him pix of the jazz vinyl I'll soon have up for sale on E-bay. He said he knew of an alternative site for album sales, and I asked him to write it down. By the end of the night in all the excitement I forgot to get the e-mail address from him, and I wonder if he'll read this and add a comment with the info I need. from Dave The Rave

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