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Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey: "You [Bobby Watson] don't want to play too long, because you don't know they're clapping because they're glad you finished!" - (JazzTimes, Nov. 2019)..

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

15848 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 855 of them this year alone and, so far, 53 this month (Sept. 18).

From This Moment On ...

September

Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 22: Brief Encounter @ Bardon Mill Village Hall, Northumberland. 7:00pm. Tickets: £10.00. adv from 07885 303166; £12.00. on the door. Chris & Veronica Perrin improvising to a screening of the 1929 'Jazz Age' silent film Piccadilly (Dir. Ewald André Dupont).
Fri 22: Paul Edis & Graeme Wilson + Three Tsuru Origami @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Fri 22: Crooners @ Tyne Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 22: Abbie Finn's Finntet @ Traveller's Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 23: Tyne Valley Big Band @ Tanfield Railway, Gateshead. 2:00-4:00pm. Free. A '1940s Weekend' event.
Sat 23: Jason Isaacs @ Stack, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free.
Sat 23: Andrew Porritt & Keith Barrett @ Cullercoats Watch House, Front St., Cullercoats NE30 4QB. 7:00pm.
Sat 23: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig. Country blues.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm.

Tue 26: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Alice Grace Quartet @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 28: Faye MacCalman + Snape/Sankey @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 28: Zoe Rahman @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 28: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.
Thu 28: Speakeasy @ Queen's Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. £15.00. A Southpaw Dance Company presentation. Dance, audio-visuals, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, swing dancers etc.
Thu 28: Mick Cantwell Band @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Ace blues band.
Thu 28: 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

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