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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

16051 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1058 of them this year alone and, so far, 12 this month (Dec. 6).

From This Moment On ...

December

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 Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Alan Law, Paul Grainger & Abbie Finn @ Darlington Market, Market Square, Darlington. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘Christmas Market’ outdoor gig. Wrap up warm!
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.

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Hot Fingers @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 14: After Hours Student Jazz Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. . Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 14: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Mo Scott ‘Little Mo’s Festive Appearance’ @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Tees Hot Club w. Kevin Eland, Josh Bentham, Garry Hadfield, Adrian Beadnell @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 15: Paul Edis @ Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 15: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 15: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 15: Paul Skerritt @ Black Horse Inn, Crook. From 7:00pm.
Fri 15: Paul Edis: A Jazzy Christmas @ St Cuhtbert's Centre, Crook. 7:30pm. £15.00. SOLD OUT! Waiting list open.
Fri 15: Zoë Gilby Trio @ Seventeen Nineteen, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. £12.00. POSTPONED!
Fri 15: Strictly Smokin' Big Band @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 8:00pm. First night of two.
Fri 15: Darlington Big Band @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £10.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 15: Baghdaddies @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00.; £10.00.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

CD Review: Centennial - Newly Discovered Works of Gil Evans.

(Review by David Brownlow).
An American arranger called Ryan Truesdell (no, I hadn’t heard of him either) has assembled a stellar group of musicians and soloists to perform and record ten previously unheard works of Gil Evans on the one hundredth anniversary of his birth. The pieces have been recently discovered among the manuscripts kept by Gil’s family – wife Anita and sons Miles and Noah – and used with their permission.
There are pieces drawn from three areas of Gil’s career i.e. “The Thornhill Years” “The Individualism of” and the “Vocalists”.
Thornhill: Maids of Cadiz; How About You; Who’ll Buy My Violets; Dancing on a Great Big Rainbow.
Individualism: Punjab; Barbara Song; Waltz/Variation on the misery; So Long. 
Vocalists: Smoking my Sad Cigarette; Beg Your Pardon; Look to the Rainbow.

The “Thornhill” pieces are shorter and have a delightful mid - 1940s feel including some “Danny Polo”-ish clarinet from Scott Robinson and early “Red Rodney”- ish brassy trumpet from Greg Gisbert. All exhibit Gil’s typically ingenious orchestrations with rich textures and adventurous, unexpected voicings of instruments.
The three “Individualism” items are longer explorations of Gil’s which point the way towards his later work including extended solo sections. There are “David Sanborn/Chris Hunter” style alto solos from Steve Weston, some exceptional free-flowing vibes work from Joe Locke (standout soloist for me ) and some pithy choruses from Donny McCaslin on tenor.
A version of“Punjab” was recorded in 1964 but never released. Ryan Truesdell added tabla accompaniment to the arrangement and it now flows sympathetically. In “Barbara Song”, Gil used a section which emerged later in his career as “Copenhagen Sight” and “London”. Gil often returned to arrangements - sometimes years later- to review or revise them. “Waltz/Variation” spans 500 bars making it the longest work of Gil’s. The main theme is “The Time of the Barracudas” in which he developed and added to by extending sections and adding new melodic content. Truesdell considers it to be Gil’s “magnum opus” as it exemplifies his extraordinary abilities as a composer. One can only agree !
The three “vocal” pieces are :-
“Smoking my sad cigarette” sung by Kate McGarry
“Beg Your Pardon” sung by Wendy Gillies
“Look to the Rainbow” sung by Luciana Souza
Each of these songs showcase Gil’s unique skills in a different way. The only criticism I have is that at times, the backdrops are a little too busy - detracting slightly from the vocals.
In conclusion, this CD is a respectful tribute to Gil from Ryan Truesdell, the Evans family and ourselves, the jazz-loving public.
David Brownlow.

1 comment :

Ann Braithwaite said...

Thanks much for posting David Brownlow's review of Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Centennial CD.
I most appreciate it.
All the best,
Ann Braithwaite

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