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Bebop Spoken There

Billy Boy Arnold: “As long as you don't think old you're good.” - DownBeat, December, 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!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Postage

16051 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1058 of them this year alone and, so far, 12 this month (Dec. 6).

From This Moment On ...

December

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: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. £7.00.
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: Prudhoe Community Band @ Central Station, Newcastle. 10:00am - 12 noon. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 09: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 1:00pm.
Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
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.

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Alan Law, Paul Grainger & Abbie Finn @ Darlington Market, Market Square, Darlington. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘Christmas Market’ outdoor gig. Wrap up warm!
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Funk Soul Sista @ Stack, Seaburn. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Beth Clarke @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Whittingham Memorial Institute, Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 10: Tele-Port @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Zhenya Strigalev.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Interim Final Recitals @ Newcastle University. Details TBC.

Tue 12: Stu Collingwood Organ Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £10.00.

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Hot Fingers @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 14: After Hours Student Jazz Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. . Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 14: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Mo Scott ‘Little Mo’s Festive Appearance’ @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Tees Hot Club w. Kevin Eland, Josh Bentham, Garry Hadfield, Adrian Beadnell @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Stockton Jazz Festival. Part one 12 noon - 4:00 pm.

This was indeed a musical banquet with each course a musiculinary delight. For starters there was Alter Ego. Hard blowing bop led by Keith Robinson (alto) and spurred on by David Francis' Art Blakeyian drive. Alongside Keith in the front line were Niall Armstrong (flt/ten) and Alex Leathard (tmb) - even without Dave Hignett's trumpet they put the boot in with some powerful blowing. The rhythm section of Giles Strong (gtr), Andy Hawking (pno), Ian Paterson (bs) and David F on drums meant the impetus never faltered. Click here for some stunning pictures from Amanda Knight, Alter Ego finished with a storming "The Soulful Mr Timmons" that said to the world - "Follow That!"...
... And that's just what the Zoe Gilby Quintet did - in spades! I can honestly say that this was the best set I've heard from Zoe for many a moon; this afternoon everything worked. Opening with a sort of a medley whereby "I'm Beginning to See The Light" somehow had "When Lights Are Low" entwined in the middle. They've both got 'light(s)' in the title get it? Anyhow it worked beautifully. A duo number, with Zoe and husband to be Andy on bass, "Nice Work If You Can Get It", was simply magnificent and, although she scatted it was done tastefully and so appealingly that even Angela would have approved!
"That Old Black Magic" also raised a few goosebumps as did the final "West Coast Blues" with solos from Mark Williams (gtr), Mark Jackson, sitting in on piano, Andy 'the bass' Champion, Richard Brown (dms) and last and most definitely not least, "Mister here there and everywhere" Noel Dennis on Geneva trumpet. His solo was really something but then again, aren't they always?
It was asking a lot of the Miles Ahead group to follow Alter Ego and Zoe but they did it brilliantly. A mixture of youth and experience they played some tricky scores expertly and the girl saxes all had good solo spots. Lead alto Caroline Bagley's feature on "You Don't Know What Love Is" being particularly outstanding. As Noel said, "The future of jazz is in safe hands."
If anyone can give me the names I'll carve them here with pride. (Click here for a view from the inside).
By this time the need for some non-musical culinary delights surfaced and they were immediatly satisfied by Hilary who produced ham and cheese & corned beef and pickle sandwiches - with choccy bickies to follow. This seemed to be pretty close to heaven.
The final set of my tenure was Saxophonics - a saxophone quartet. Keith Robinson (alt), Steve Summers (alt/ten), Graeme Wilson(ten) and Niall Armstrong (bar) were the saxes and they played the complex arrangements to perfection. Impossible to fault but perhaps a little too perfect if that is possible. The harmonic richness and the four way counterpoint did make for some intriguing passages but I have to admit I did miss a rhythm section.
By now it was 4:00 pm and I had to depart for pastures new.
Russell will deliver his report on events from here onwards or until the bar closes.
Lance.

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