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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

15229 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 248 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (March 20).

From This Moment On ...

March

Sat 25: Vermont Big Band @ Walker Community Centre, Walker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Fundraiser for Benfield Juniours Football Club. Hot food available, BYOB.
Sat 25: John Logan & Friends @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rat Pack, Motown etc. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Mar 26: Pop Jazz @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 'Jazzified' tunes by the likes of Sylvester, Bowie, the Monkees etc., feat. Alan Law, David Gray, Richard Herdman & Jude Murphy.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

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: '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. SOLD OUT!
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: 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.

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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