Total Pageviews

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

Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: FILM: Mo' Better Blues @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Fri 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Scarth Hall, Staindrop, Co. Durham. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Fri 24: Archipelago + Bulbils @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.

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.
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.

Monday, August 09, 2010

The Victory 'V' Jazzmen @ 15th Annual Great Whittington Jazz Picnic. Sunday 8th August.

Ray Shenton (keyboards & vocals), Peter Shenton (electric bass), Gavin Lee (clarinet & alto saxophone), John Cowan (trumpet), Herbie Hudson (trombone, harmonica & vocals), Fred Thompson (drums & vocals), Brian Bennett (banjo), Mark Shenton (guitar & keyboards), Joe Shenton (washboard) & Bessie Whittington (vocals).
The Fifteenth Great Whittington Jazz Picnic was held in the grounds of the village hall on a warm, dry, summer's afternoon. Picnic tables, hampers and umpteen bottles of vino made for a party atmosphere. The Victory V Jazzmen, a hand-picked ensemble featuring several generations of Shentons, started with a breezy Marching Through Georgia. Drummer Fred Thompson sang Shine as the sun broke through the clouds over an idyllic Northumbrian village scene; a simple, functional hall, dry-stone walls and gently rolling landscape stretching to the horizon. Mark Shenton joined the band to play some tasteful blues guitar alongside trumpeter John Cowan on St.James' Infirmary.
Harmonica ace Herbie Hudson blew some on Tishomingo Blues then took the vocal duties on When You're Smiling. All the while there was much brunching and imbibing. The classic Apex Blues was a good 'un and High Society was played as a request. Bessie Whittington was called to the stage to sing House of the Rising Sun. The girl did swell.
The legendary Joe Shenton, 81 years young, joined the band to rattle his washboard on Ace in the Hole with Ray Shenton handling the lyric. Joe stayed on for a storming Coney Island Washboard with Brian Bennett and Peter Shenton holding it together. The first set drew to a close with Fred Thompson prescribing the medicine on Dr Jazz.
The interval meant one thing - more brunching and imbibing. Oh, there was also the raffle, bottles of vino and champagne (Great Whittingtonians do things with style) were offered as prizes (I went home empty handed). The jazz resumed with another winner - Bourbon Street Parade - before Bessie took to the stage once more to reprise House of the Rising Sun. She was every bit as good as first time round. Hoagy Carmichael's Up a Lazy River saw Thompson sing it in his own sweet way as he did with I Get the Blues When It Rains with brilliant clarinetist Gavin Lee proving every bit as adept on alto saxophone. The afternoon concluded with Mama Don't Like No Jazz - another good 'un and in the case of the good people of Great Whittington they certainly did like their jazz.
Bessie Whittington aka Lizzie Scott (aged 6) is a star in the making. All proceeds from the event - approx. £500 - went to Tynedale Hospice at Home.
Russell.

4 comments :

Anonymous said...

Great write up, Russell. It truly was a magnificent day. As you say - LOTS of glasses of wine raised to cheer on the brilliant band, as well as £517.31 raised for Tynedale Hospice at Home.
If you missed young Bessie's performance, you can see her on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrb9Xnb7_X8
Roll on next year

Bessie's mum x

Ray Shenton said...

I'd just like to say a big THANK YOU to the pages of Bebop spoken here for their publicity in making this the best attended picnic of our 15 years at Great Whittington


Bessie's Grandad

Ann Alex said...

From Ann Alex. I've just listened to this 6 year old jazz singer in the making - great stuff. A sweet voice with the beginnings of a jazz 'Edge' to it, and a good sense of pitch. A pity she's too young to come to the Sage Jazz Singing class!

Ray Shenton said...

I'm sorry I have to tell you of the death of my saxophone/clarinet playing brother Bill Shenton on 10th April in hospital in Carlisle.
Bill was almost 86 and was renowned in the Carlisle area for his jazz. He played with John Cowan and the Lairds of Dixieland, The Gelt River Jazzband,and the Victory V Jazzband as well as his own Bill Shenton Band with his son Peter and his two grandsons on keyboards and drums.
His New Orleans type funeral took place today, April 18th at Carlisle Crem and was a fantastic celebration of his life My daughter Lisa has compiled a tribute to him on her blog www.letyerhairdown.blogspot.com and the Cumberland News are preparing a video for release on their web site shortly
We will be dedicating the proceeds of the Victory V's Great Whittington Jazz Picnic to the Alzheimers Society as a tribute to Bill.
The date of the picnic will be Sunday 7th August but I will confirm this to you later, nearer the time
RIP Bill Shenton

Blog Archive