Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Delfeayo Marsalis: "Slide Hampton once told me that it's not always the person that is playing the highest or playing the fastest that's making the greatest impact." - (DownBeat March 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!"

Postage

15229 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 248 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (March 20).

From This Moment On ...

March

Mon 20: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 20: Central Bar Quintet plays Wes Montgomery @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 7:30pm. Feat. Joe Steels.

Tue 21: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 21: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Jacob Egglestone (guitar); Jamie Watkins (bass guitar); Bailey Rudd (drums).

Wed 22: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 22: Darlington Big Band @ Traveller's Rest, Cockerton. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public). Note change of venue - this week only.
Wed 22: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 22: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 4:00-6:00pm. Free.
Thu 23: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Bar Loco, Newcasatle. From 6:30pm 'til late. Free. Newcastle University Jazz Orchestra jam session. All welcome (students & non-students).
Thu 23: Kerrin Tatman + John Garner & John Pope @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 23: Sunna Gunnlaugs & Julia Hülsmann @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm. A two-piano gig. A Sage Gateshead-JNE promotion.
Thu 23: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano.
Thu 23: Sleep Suppressor @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00., £8.00. adv. Upstairs.
Thu 23: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: FILM: Mo' Better Blues @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Fri 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Scarth Hall, Staindrop, Co. Durham. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Fri 24: Archipelago + Bulbils @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.

Sat 25: Vermont Big Band @ Walker Community Centre, Walker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Fundraiser for Benfield Juniours Football Club. Hot food available, BYOB.
Sat 25: John Logan & Friends @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rat Pack, Motown etc. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Sunday, September 02, 2012

New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ The Dolphin Centre, Darlington. September 1


Band leader Dave Kerr, Steve Andrews (tenor saxophone, clarinet & vocals), Gavin Lee (clarinet & tenor saxophone), Alan Marshall (clarinet, alto saxophone & flute), Jim McBriarty (clarinet, alto saxophone & vocals), Graham Hardy (trumpet), Alistair Lord (trumpet), Don Fairley (trombone), Keith Stephen (banjo & guitar), Emma Fisk (violin), Neville Hartley (piano), Phil Rutherford (sousaphone) & Steve Doyle (drums).
(Review by Russell).
Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club has a new home. The closure of Darlington Arts Centre precipitated a move across town to the Dolphin Centre in Horse Market. The Arts Centre was a favourite of many a jazz fan and it remained to be seen how many would  transfer allegiance to the council-run sports centre. A white-walled room, suspended ceiling tiles and windows lacking curtains or blinds made for a functional office setting. High back chairs in rows, one or two tables at the back of the room – one needed somewhere to rest a pint of Guinness – and things were set fair. 
The honour of playing the inaugural gig was bestowed upon the New Century Ragtime Orchestra. Musicians seeking pre-performance lubrication were to be found across the way in the café in a queue with perspiring squash players in need of post-performance lubrication. This was hardly a gin joint – coffees out numbered the hard stuff by a ratio of three to one. 
The penguin-suited mob (violinist Ms Fisk chose to wear a dress) took to the stand on time (professional to the last) for the first of three sets in front of a good turn-out of regulars. The band’s repertoire is drawn from a half century or so of early jazz styles – circa late 1800s to 1930s. The set list balanced rags with small band swing numbers, unearthing along the way some lesser known if not forgotten tunes. Reindeer Rag, Gotta Get a Girl and Chattanooga Stomp set the standard. The latter number featured in the pad for the first time; band leader Dave Kerr clearly delights in finding new material, knocking it into shape, putting it in front of the band and hearing the results of his labours. Vocal numbers were shared between first rate reedsmen Jim McBriarty (Tonight’s My Night with My Baby a highlight) and Steve Andrews (the tongue-twisting Nagasaki a further highlight with some hot tenor and alto thrown in for good measure!). MC Andrews’ insightful introductions and witty asides were in themselves worth the admission money. In introducing the aforementioned Chattanooga Stomp Andrews turned to second trumpet (and first time dep with the band) Alistair Lord to inform him that when the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band recorded the number in the twenties the second trumpet (cornet) was one Louis Armstrong. Andrews said: No pressure then!  Similarly, trumpeter Graham Hardy was teased with this one from Andrews: West End Blues…an iconic number in the history of jazz recorded by the legendary Louis Armstrong. No pressure then!  Much hilarity ensued drawing somewhat nervous smiles from Lord and Hardy. Well, what do you know? Lord and Hardy played knock out trumpet! Later Hardy took on the mantle of Henry Red Allen on Patrol Wagon Blues (arr. McBriarty)….and nailed it! Andrews’ tenor saxophone featured on Some of These Days and in introducing the number he struck a chord with this reviewer. Andrews talked about Coleman Hawkins’ sojourn in Holland during the thirties. The Ramblers, one of Holland’s premier jazz bands of the era invited Hawkins to record a few sides with them. I was familiar with the story having recently purchased a second hand vinyl re-issue on the Jasmine label of  The Hawk in Holland: Coleman Hawkins with the Ramblers. Andrews’ tenor was straight out of the Coleman Hawkins’ school of tenor playing. Excellent stuff! 
The Scott Joplin rag Elite Syncopations illustrated the band’s excellent ensemble work as did the closing number Limehouse Blues (superb tenor from Andrews). 
A review is inevitably selective, omissions an unintended consequence. It would, however, be remiss of me not to mention the virtuoso playing of the string players in the orchestra – violinist Emma Fisk (moonlighting from Djangologie) and Keith Stephen (banjo and guitar). Phil Rutherford’s sousaphone work was exemplary, drummer Steve Doyle played with assurance and last but by no means least, thirty something birthday boy Gavin Lee excelled throughout (as always). 
Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club meets first Saturday in the month (12.30 pm). Next month – October 6th – get along to hear the award winning Edinburgh based Nova Scotia Jazz Band.
Russell.
Russell                         

No comments :

Blog Archive