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Bebop Spoken There

Spasmo Brown: “Jazz is an ice cream sandwich! It's the Fourth of July! It's a girl with a waterbed!”. (Syncopated Times, July, 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

17328 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 612 of them this year alone and, so far, 17 this month (Sept. 5).

From This Moment On ...

September

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:30pm. £4.00. ‘A Great Day in Harlem’.
Thu 12: The Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Pete Tanton & co.
Thu 12: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Donna Hewitt, Bill Watson, Dave Archbold, Adrian Beadnell, Mark Hawkins.

Fri 13: Jeff Barnhart & Neville Dickie @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Two pianos, two pianists! SOLD OUT!
Fri 13: Noel Dennis Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Dilutey Juice @ Old Coal Yard, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.00. adv..
Fri 13: Ray Stubbs R & B All-stars @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. Classic blues.

Sat 14: Jeff Barnhart’s Silent Film Fest @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 14: Customs House Big Band w. Ruth Lambert @ St Paul’s Centre, St Paul’s Gardens, Spennymoor DL16 7LR. 7:00pm (6:45pm doors). Tickets £10.00. from the venue or tel: 01388 813404. A ‘BYOB’ event.
Sat 14: Emma Wilson @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. £12.00. Acoustic blues.
Sat 14: Rat Pack - Swingin’ at the Sands @ Billingham Forum. 7:30pm.

Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Jude Murphy, Steve Chambers & Sid White @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 15: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Panharmonia @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 16: Swing Manouche @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Mon 16: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: John Hallam with the James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert!

Tue 17: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Victoria & Albert Inn, Seaton Delaval. 12:30pm. £13.00. Tel: 0191 237 3697. ‘Indian Summer Afternoon Tea’.
Tue 17: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels (guitar); Paul Grainger (double bass); Abbie Finn (drums).

Monday, April 08, 2013

GIJF Day 3: Ruby Turner; The Brand New Heavies. April 7.

(Review by Lance).
(Dawn Joseph: Photo credit, Mark Savage.)
Tonight posed the question what is and what isn't jazz? Both sets had lots of soul and funk but as regards jazz content that is debatable. Paradoxically, this was, I would guess, one of, if not the, best attended concerts of the Festival. If this helps to subsidise the jazzier events then so be it.
However, the music, irrespective of genre, was exciting albeit the show itself was a visually challenged event.
Ruby Turner bounced around with the exuberance and soulful utterances we have come to know and love via her appearances with Jools and on previous Sage gigs. Without doubt the Lord was on her side as she sang Gospel inspired numbers such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe's This Train with it's underlying suggestion of the work of Harriet Tubman who did so much to help free slaves after the American Civil War.
The downside was the stage lighting. For some reason it rarely caught Ms. Turner who appeared as a shadowy figure probably only recognisable from say the first 5 rows!
Nevertheless, she sounded good and the band, who were somewhat better lit, gave her sterling support.
No shortage of light for the Brand New Heavies who, with their new vocalist Dawn Joseph, soon had Hall One rocking. The horn section of trumpet and tenor blended well and they had some good solos. Ms. Joseph quickly removed most of her clothes to facilitate her onstage cavorting and it was both easy on the eye and the ear. Soon it became just  "the ear".
"Everybody stand" she yelled and everybody did.
This was fine if you happen to be 7 feet tall of which it seems everyone in front of me was but for those who aren't, or are incapable of standing for long periods of time, it took a lot of shine off the gig. Indeed several of the more elderly members of the audience did leave early and I didn't blame them. 
My journey on the Quaylink bus was spent with a chap, much younger than me, complaining about paying for a seat at the concert and having to stand.
A bit of an anti-climax to what had been an otherwise absolutely fabulous weekend.
Lance.

1 comment :

Stocksfield Jazzer said...

Enjoyed the Ruby Turner gig greatly. I agree with you is is not Jazz, but certainly hits the blues button. For various reasons we did not stay for the Brand New Heavies - sounds like (as an older, shorter Jazz [and Ruby Turner] fans) we may have made the right choice!

Why do the Sage insist on booking two major acts for the same concert? I suspect it is to maximise revenue, by attracting two different audiences. At least Ruby Turner was allowed an encore this year. Last year we were allowed one hour of Roberto Fonseca - NO encore. We then had to endure nearly two hours of some Columbian Salsa (it's all the same!) band, as they (being second) were allowed an extended encore.

It may be a "Serious" thing, rather than a "Sage" thing, as some of last year's LJF fixtures also featured two major bands/artists on the same bill.

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