Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 2024.

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...

Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.

Postage

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Tuesday May 25. Schmazz @ the Cluny JONATHAN BRATOËFF QUARTET

Jonathan Bratoëff (guitar); Mark Hanslip (saxophones); Tom Mason (bass); James Maddren (drums).
I took a German mate of mine, fresh in from Koeln along to the Cluny knowing that the choice of beer would impress him for starters. Well, so did the Potato & Ham soup and the Salmon fishcakes, but not for starters - it all arrived together so we ate it as a banquet along with my Steak in Wine (allegedly) pie; very good value and tasty actually washed down with Tyneside Brown & Harviestown Bitter & Twisted. We kept a close eye on the Jonathan Bratoeff Quartet who were dining there too with Paul B; in fact Jonathan was impressively selling the gig to everyone in the bar - it's really good to see a bit of unashamed artistic self-promotion - not that I'd know!
It was also good to have a chat with Mark Hanslip (sax) again after his lyrical appearance last July with Tom Mix at The Side (Tony Marsh drums & Ollie Brice d.bass) - see Bebop Spoken Here archive; he told me The Side was the best gig they did on that tour but he wasn't sure if Tony Marsh was in fact named after Tom Mix's Wonder Horse! Two reasons to linger 'til 9 when the band kicked off in the depths of Cluny 2 in front of a canny turnout for a Tuesday night.
It's always a good sign when the band's choice of ambient music fits your personal taste so, as the strains of Bill Frisell faded and Jonathan opened up the first set with some haunting Frisell/Metheney-esque chord work I knew this was gonna be a good'n.
They made it look easy actually as James Maddren looked skywards into a parallel ether for inspiration seeming to be whispering and knocking at heaven's door. Simultaneously, his telepathic partnership with Tom Mason's bass line providing an elegant celestial craft which Jonathan and Mark simply sailed away on. There was such well-composed and self-assured contrast both within and between the pieces, it felt like you were having an amusing yet animated conversation with a rare character in a Murakami novel and those drums - as Paul B says in Jazz Alert of James Maddren "..a rising star.." - he's not joking: the bloke in front wondered if there was an earthquake coming as my knees and feet went into overdrive - always a good sign!
Jonathan took a welcome opportunity to talk about his compositional ideas modestly leaving lots of room for personal interpretation - now we know that he likes the idea of his pieces being framed, "You know", he shrugs in a French way, "we (the band) are painting a picture so we sort of frame it" - someone shouts out, "You've been framed!" deftly breaking the philosophical crystal. We were also treated to a new piece - last of the first set - called Fallen Colossus, which gave Jonathan a chance to tell us of his travels in Egypt making us feel guilty for having stayed at The Luxor Sheraton but referring us to the super-megalomania of Rameses II whose now horizontal, 70m statue was the inspiration for this piece. Anyway it was very good but unfortunately at this point we had to make our apologies and take off, so I hope maybe Paul or the bloke who shouted "You've been framed" might be able to fill in some appreciation of the 2nd set in the 'Comments' section?
My mate Albert - who said the Germans have no sense of humour - pointed out that Jonathan's surname was Alsatian for fried egg - now who's broken the philosophical crystal!
George Milburn.

No comments :

Blog Archive