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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

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: Just Friends @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. Guest band night w. Richie Emmerson, Ian Bosworth, Dave Archbold, Ron Smith, Mark Hawkins. 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: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. £7.00.
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: Prudhoe Community Band @ Central Station, Newcastle. 10:00am - 12 noon. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 09: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 1:00pm.
Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
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.

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoe Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Funk Soul Sista @ Stack, Seaburn. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Beth Clarke @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Whittingham Memorial Institute, Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 10: Tele-Port @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Zhenya Strigalev.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Interim Final Recitals @ Newcastle University. Details TBC.

Tue 12: Stu Collingwood Organ Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £10.00.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Memories of Dave Brubeck

With Dave Brubeck hitting 90 on Saturday and the Brubecks Play Brubeck show hitting The Sage, Gateshead, tomorrow I took Time Out to reflect on my memories of the Great Man.
According to my collection of programmes I saw him live on at least four occasions.
Twice in 1961, once in '62 and once with a Newport Jazz Festival package that included the Buck Clayton All-Stars, the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet and the Dave Brubeck Quartet - even in this illustrious company Dave topped the bill.
I recall Jim McDowell and I going down to Leeds when, for some reason, he missed out on Newcastle. It was worth the trip.
Eleven vinyl discs and Four CDs are further proof that this was no passing fancy!
The most recent was Park Avenue South recorded in 2002 - the maestro hadn't lost his touch!
Dave was successful - discs in the Hit Parade - he even made a lot of money!
To the "critics" this was and is artistic suicide - their heroes are supposed to starve in garrets and die an early drug/alcohol related death or get shot in an alley back of Birdland. Dave didn't go down that road which is why he is still swinging at 90 years of age.
I recall how fashionable it was to praise Paul Desmond and Joe Morello and denigrate Dave as if they were serving some kind of sentence!
Well Desmond is quoted as saying in Marian McPartland's book - All In Good Time - I would never have made it without Dave. He's amazing harmonically, and he's a fantastic accompanist. You can play the wrongest note, possible in any chord, and he can make it sound like the only right one!
I'll take Desmond - and the late Steve Race - over those critics who prefer a hatchet to a crotchet which they probably think is some kind of knitting.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow night and hearing the sons carry on the family tradition.
When I interviewed Darius Brubeck last week, as a precurser to tomorrow's show, one of the things that came across was his sincerity - obviously a family trait!
Don't let the snow put you off - it's the only game in town!
Lance.

1 comment :

Andy Hudson said...

Dave Brubeck was a great man to work with. I had the pleasure of promoting him a few times but most memorably on a 2 show double bill at the Festival Hall London as part of the JVC Jazz Parade in the Mid-eighties. The other half of the double bill was George Shearing.
I had asked if as a finale they would play together and was told categorically no.

So the shows were Show 1 Brubeck then Shearing Show 2 Shearing then Brubeck, George was still around and lurking in the wings when I went on stage to take Dave off -final bows and all that.
" I bet you'd like them to play together" I exhorted the RFH crowd, who responded with apoplectic delight.I then went and sat at the piano and started the TAKE 5 Riff. Announcing that I would continue until they came on - the thought of my desecration of that A-rhythmic masterpiece worked - Dave leading George by the arm to his Bosendorfer and then ceremoniously kicking me from his Chappell carried on with quite the best rendition you would ever hear.
They played on - for another half hour joined by Nils Pederson on bass and I can't remember the drummer. They both had a ball and WE all certainly did.
After the show I went to thank them and Dave said ...."don't ever do that again"......Grinned.... and added......!Until next time"
Happy 90th

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