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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

16034 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1041 of them this year alone and, so far, 73 this month (Nov. 27).

From This Moment On ...

December

Sun 03: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:30pm. £7.50.
Sun 03: The Central Bar Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. The Central Bar Quartet plays Lou Donaldson’s Gravy Train. Featuring Jamie Toms.
Sun 03: Revolutionaires @ The Water House, North Road, Durham. 4:00pm. Rock 'n' roll excellence! Line-up inc. Pete Tanton.
Sun 03: Paul Skerritt @ Smith’s Arms, Carlton, Stockton-on-Tees. 7:00pm.
Sun 03: Johnny Hunter Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 03: Jam session @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.

Mon 04: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 04: Northern Monkey Brass Band @ People’s Kitchen, Bath Lane, Newcastle. From 5:30pm. On-street gig supporting the work of the People’s Kitchen charity. Wrap up warm! Donate!
Mon 04: Michael Young Trio w Lindsay Hannon @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 7:00pm. Free.
Mon 04: James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £8.00.
Mon 04: Durham University Jazz Orchestra + Durham University Big Band @ Durham Castle DH1 3RW. 8:30pm. £6.00.; £5.00. concs; £4.00. DSM. ‘Jazzy Christmas’.

Tue 05: Customs House Big Band @ All Saints Church, Cleadon. 7:00pm. Concert in the church hall. BYOB.
Tue 05: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Sid White. The best free show in town!

Wed 06: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 06: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 8:00pm. Free. Note later start time, concert performance (open to the public).
Wed 06: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Newcastle. 12 noon - 4:00pm. £26.00 (inc 3-course meal in in St Mary's Lighthouse Suite). SOLD OUT!
Thu 07: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 07: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.Donations. Feat. Mark Sanders. CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00. Downstairs.
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

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: 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: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Abbie Finn Trio @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm.
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.

Monday, November 08, 2010

Free Thinker: Soweto Kinch - Freedom: A Guide To Listening. The Sage, Nov. 7 - Review by Harley Johnson

Rana Mitter (Radio Presenter/Professor), Soweto Kinch (Speaker/Alto Saxophone) On my way to the Jazz Cafe Jam Session and subsequently the Ingrid Laubrock gig at the Bridge Hotel, I called into the Sage Gateshead for a large cappuccino and a 'free' discussion/lecture by Jazz Saxophonist/Composer/Rapper Soweto Kinch.
Joining Soweto was the BBC Radio 3 Presenter of the programme 'Night Waves' and Professor of the History of Modern China at Oxford University, Rana Mitter.
There was a fairly large crowd present in Hall Two and I couldn't help but notice a table on stage with an alto saxophone placed on top. Was this going to be a lecture and discussion through music rather than words?
Before the session commenced, Rana informed the audience that this would be recorded and broadcasted on Radio 3's 'Night Waves' in the near future. We also had a practice run of Rana's hand gesture for applauding to make this broadcast sound conventional. We welcomed Soweto with a massive applause and, instead of moving towards the saxophone, it was to his notes on the relationship between music and emancipation.
He would, however, pick up the saxophone when he began talking about the blues and how it changed over the years in coherence to the black man's civil rights in America. Soweto first played a blues from the Duke Ellington Orchestra, before moving onto the bebop era and began playing Charlie Parker's 'Now's The Time' with a short but elegant solo.
Although this was all we heard from Soweto's alto, there were some musical intervals in between his speech; again relating to the civil rights: including Sonny Rollins 'Freedom Suite', Max Roach 'We Insist - Freedom Now' and Charles Mingus 'Fables of Faubus'.
Jazz wasn't the only thing on the menu! There were also clips from English punk band 'The Clash' and The Specials 'Ghost Town' in relation to the radical poltics in the punk/rock era of the 80s. During the discussion between Soweto and Rana there was an opportunity for members of the audience to give their own views on matters which ranged from emancipation to the origins of Soweto's name and T.V. talent shows.
To sum up the event, I think we can all agree that music can still be used to portray our feelings and thoughts on the current climate of society, politics and world affairs. Or how I would also say that music should not be abused by record labels and popstars for fame and fortune.
There was no standing ovation but there may well be at the Soweto's gig at the Gateshead International Jazz Festival 2011 and will be playing songs from his new album 'The New Emancipation' which is available now.
Harley Johnson.

1 comment :

Russell said...

Good review Harley. Hearing Soweto play Jeep's Blues was great.

Russell

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