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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 2024.

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...

Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.

Postage

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

A Very Long Splinter @ The Bridge Hotel. Sunday July 22

(Review by Russell).
Splinter at the Bridge’s season-ending all day festival enticed a good number of folk, some were in it for the long haul - from noon ‘til late - and one keen jazzer made the journey from the west coast (Cumbria not California). The Lindsay Hannon Plus got things under way with a set of tunes drawn from the standard repertoire and beyond including Anais Mitchell’s Old Fashioned Hat and Billy Joel’s Where’s the Orchestra? Hannon’s sensitive interpretation of a lyric and her self-penned lyrics to Joshua Redman’s Wish held the attention. The band - Alan Law (piano), Andy Champion (bass) and Mark Robertson (drums) - went for a lazy saloon bar take on So long, Big Time as Hannon closed a good opening set.
The Hapax Brewery - a new name to this imbiber/reviewer - newly installed on the bar, simply had to be sampled. The pint went down well listening to the top drawer Paul Edis Sextet. A set of all-original material featured a parade of star soloists. Graham Hardy (trumpet), Graeme Wilson (tenor), Chris Hibbard (trombone) and Edis himself turned in a series of immaculate solos on Dorian Gray, Echoes, Sharp 9/8 (drummer Adam Sinclair evoked Joe Morello!), the ballad Missing You and  the set closer Angular, driven by the Edis rhythm section of Sinclair and double bassist Mick Shoulder.
Ex Extreme perform only occasionally. This was one of those all too rare occasions. Versatile pianist Stu Collingwood contributed charts (This ‘n’ That, The Tank), as did other band members – guitarist Mark Williams (Booze Blues), bassist Stuart Davies (Double Bubble) and Northumberland resident American trumpet and flugelhorn star Pete Tanton (Barbados). Drummer Steve Wall adapted to the charts in front of him, ranging from fusion to funk (Double Bubble) to old school swing (The Tank). The musicians in Ex Extreme have paid their dues and they delivered a no nonsense professional set.
The new generation of musicians was represented by Wilbur’s Fate. The band decided to play the gig as a trio due to the unavailability of bassist John Pope. A brave move and it paid off. Front men Jordi Cooke (guitar) and Matt Forster (tenor) rattled off punchy solos during a fast paced set that included Lost at Sea and a new one - Ink What? Drummer Dave Mckeague had the material in the pocket and the future looks bright for these amiable young musicians.
Zoe Gilby and Andy Champion held the attention of the busy room with their voice and double bass set. Classic material – Comes Love, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and Just Squeeze Me sat along side Money and Tom Waits’ Way Down in the Hole. A class act.
A pint of the familiar was called for - Deuchar’s IPA – as Mark Williams took to the stage to give a guitar master class in the company of bassist Paul Susans and drummer Richard Brown. Williams is a man of few words with a million notes at his finger tips. Somehow he always seems to get them in the right order! Much applause, well deserved.
Jazz North East’s contribution to the Splinter marathon reunited Corey Mwamba (vibes) and Andy Champion (double bass). The percussive pair were joined by alto saxophonist Ntshuks Bonga to play a set of freely improvised pieces. Mwamba immersed himself in the music yet connected with his fellow musicians and audience alike. Champion’s improvising instincts stood him in good stead as his D string broke. The redundant limp thread flapped against the body of the instrument. Undeterred, the bassist made best use of it. He twanged it and scraped it, incorporating the errant string into the performance. Bonga’s alto work commanded the stage. Possessing a big, direct sound the altoist judged the mood of the room and dedicated the performance to the late Lol Coxhill. I look forward to hearing Bonga again in a concert setting free of the inevitable festival distractions.
The very long day concluded with the power trio Legohead. Guitarist Lloyd Wright writes tunes that any budding axe-wielding student would love to play. Fun to play, full of twists and turns, bassist Jon Proud didn’t miss a beat. Traps man David Francis, equally at home in a big band context, kicked seven shades out of the kit. Wright called for a Getaway Driver and the band roared off into the night. A long day. A very good day.
Splinter at the Bridge reconvenes on Sunday 16 September (doors 7:30 pm) with the wonderful Zoe Gilby.
Russell                       

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