Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Simon Spillett: “ Bebop and hard bop came naturally to him [Tubby Hayes]". Morning Star, March 28, 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

Fri 29: FILM: Soul @ The Forum Cinema, Hexham. 12:30pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. POSTPONED!
Fri 29: Thundercat @ Newcastle City Hall.
Fri 29: John Logan @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Fri 29: True Colours @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 9:00pm. Blues, jazz & swing.

Sat 30: Papa G’s Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sat 30: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Whitley Bay Library, York Road, Whitley Bay. 8:00pm.

Sun 31: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 31: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields NE30 1HJ. 3:00pm. Free. Lambert, Alan Law & Paul Grainger.
Sun 31: Sid Jacobs & Tom Remon @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. USA/London jazz guitar duo.
Sun 31: Bellavana @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

April
Mon 01: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 01: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootlegger’s, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.

Tue 02: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Dean Stockdale, Paul Grainger, Abbie Finn.

Wed 03: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 03: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 03: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 04: FILM: Soul @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 2:00pm. Jazz-themed film animation.
Thu 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 04: Funky Drummer @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 04: Eva Fox & the Jazz Guys @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 04: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

GIJF Day 3: Jazz Words Part 2 - Christine Tobin’s Sailing To Byzantium.


Christine Tobin (vocals and Composer); Phil Robson (guitar); Kate Short (cello); Liam Noble (piano); Dave Whitford (double bass).
(Review by Ann Alex.)
(Christine Tobin: Photo credit, Mark Savage.)
The talented Christine Tobin won a British Composer Award in 2012 for this work, which I found mostly enjoyable and true to the spirit of WB Yeats poems, which I know quite well. I’d be interested to know what people, who didn't know much of Yeats’ work, made of this.

This was very evocative material, starting with a reading of the poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree, from a CD, a poem many people may remember from their school-days   The other poems were sung with great feeling by Ms Tobin, with very skilled and appropriate accompaniment.  For instance, When You Are Old And Grey was a slow melodic tune, as suitable for a love poem, written about Yeats’ life-long unrequited love for Maude Gonne, who was married to one of the men involved in the ill-fated Easter Rising at Dublin in 1916.  The next poem concerned Celtic mythology, which interested Yeats, and began with a haunting cello introduction.  The Wild Swans At Coole concerned memories from Yeats’ younger days, with gliding swan-like music from guitar and cello.  The mood changed completely for The Second Coming, about a possible catastrophic future for the world, ‘ And what rough beast, its hour come round at last’, she sang, to shrieks and wild guitar and cello sounds, and dramatic beastly breathing into the microphone.  I thought this worked well, but not everyone liked this, as two of the audience left at this point.
I’m not sure if the final 2 poems were really successful.  The Long Legged Fly was read through a megaphone, and I couldn't understand why this was, as this difficult poem appears to be about various historical events. It would have been good to hear the poem mentioned in the title of the session, Sailing To Byzantium, in which Yeats meditates about old age, but Ms Tobin explained that its inclusion had not proved feasible. 
The short discussion which followed allowed the originators of both the Yeats and Larkin projects to outline how they had tackled their work, with comments from local award-winning poet Sean O’Brien. The discussion then developed into talk about the nature of art and music in general.
Both these jazz and poetry sessions were enjoyable and thought provoking.  
Ann Alex.

No comments :

Blog Archive