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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.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Dean Stockdale Trio - Cherry Tree Restaurant, March 11, 2013

Dean Stockdale (piano), Neil Harland (bass), Stuart (drums)
(Review by JC.)
This gig was generally advertised as Dean Stockdale plays Oscar Peterson, which seemed a bit of a mis-match, as Dean looked young and quite fit whereas the last time I saw Oscar he was definitely carrying a few extra pounds and rumour had it he hadn't picked up a tennis racket for years. So I was pretty sure this gig wasn't going to go the full five sets. However as it happened, the encounter never got to even a tie-break as the Big Man didn't show and Dean had to play for both of them - and boy, didn't he do a good job!
I have to say I'm a big fan of these gigs where local musicians explore the music of a particular jazz artist, as it's a great way to re-engage with the musician's work. Previous shows dedicated to Miles, Bill Evans and Thelonius Monk have had me digging out old albums and CDs and listening again with great enjoyment (and of course we shouldn't forget Djangologie, who do a great job with the Hot Club style).  And I'm hopeful that the gigs playing the music of Charlie Mingus and John Coltrane will come around again (at the Cherrytree , maybe?) The added bonus is that you also get a potted history of the musician's life and work, which for me at least, adds greatly to the overall effect.
Dean started the evening by immediately addressing the standard image of Peterson as a big man in a stylish suit playing the piano brilliantly, but at 90 miles an hour - 'the fast fingered Canadian' as one person has described him.  He talked about the quality of his compositional skills based on his classical training, but also how he was rooted in the blues. This was illustrated very nicely by the first number, Kelly's Blues. Then Dean talked about the purpose of Etudes in classical music that are used to demonstrate a particular technique, and he described how Oscar had written many of these from a jazz intonation which he illustrated with Blues Etude. The next piece was based in Peterson's love of his homeland and was from a longer work called Canadia and this was followed by a beautifully complex (and mainly solo) version of Body and Soul (the 'granddaddy of all standards' Dean claimed, somewhat controversially). These first four pieces demonstrated perfectly the variety and subtlety of Peterson's work and were very well played.
We then had Sushi written for a tour of Japan and a beautiful jazz waltz, Love Ballade, written for his daughter, Celine. These were followed by Cakewalk, which Peterson wrote after his stroke in 1993 when his left hand was quite badly affected. It still sounded pretty good to me. However, my favourite was from one of Peterson's most well known albums, Night Train, and the track he played was Hymn to Freedom. I was immediately transported back 40 years to the back room in my friend's house where we used gather in the early hours of the morning to listen to jazz. He had a complex sound system of a turntable wired into a four-foot high speaker he had built himself and then into an old valve radio to give a pseudo stereo effect and he always managed to procure key jazz albums. Night Train was one of those and Hymn to Freedom was a bit of an anthem at the time.
At the end of the first set Dean introduced the ever-dependable Neil Harland on bass and Stuart on drums, who was sitting in very competently for the indisposed Paul Smith. I didn't catch his second name (if it was mentioned) but maybe he just has one name, like Sting or Bono.
Unfortunately, circumstances decreed that I had to leave early in the second set but in certainly sounded as if this was going to provide an equal number of delights. I left the Cherrytree with the final notes of Georgia on my Mind, again from Night Train, pursuing me out the door. As usual, the food and service were of a high standard, so overall a great night.
JC

1 comment :

DS said...

I should mention it was Stuart Hakeny as a last minute drum replacement. Dean

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