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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, May 14, 2013

CD Review: Deborah Latz - Fig Tree.


Deborah Latz – vocals; Jon Davis – piano; John Hart – acoustic & electric guitars; Ray Parker – double bass; Willard Dyson – drums, percussion; Peter Apfelbaum, tenor & soprano sax, flutes, percussion, Abdoulaye Diabate – voice on She Was.
(Review by Debra M.)
Fig Tree, Deborah Latz’s third album, comprises vocal jazz classics plus a number of World Music - flavoured songs, mostly original compositions. The opening   Blue Skies has a laid back, slightly funky groove. Other stylishly delivered standards  include; Hi-Fly, You’d be so Nice to Come Home to and S’wonderful, the latter featuring Ray Parker who can be heard  vocalising  his  solo.
The Brooklyn based singer has made the most of her top notch ensemble, with Parker and Jon Davis making compelling contributions, especially in duets with the vocalist. Embraceable You, by far the shortest track, is sung virtually acapella with Parker soloing on double bass throughout. This stripped down arrangement highlights Latz’s heartfelt interpretation of the lyric, as well as the purity of her tone and fine vocal control. She is also a linguist, and  is at ease with Latin rhythms, giving a relaxed rendition of Corcovado and E Luxo So in Portuguese, and of the Hellenic  folk song  Fevgo in Greek.
The guest multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum plays a treat, with a gorgeous tenor sax solo on Ill Wind, as well as making significant contributions to Latz’s originals. 
She Was,  an unusual  musical eulogy to her stepmother,  begins with a soundscape of percussion, bass and flute evoking a storm, which resolves into the sound of the ocean. It also features the Malian singer Abdoulaye Diabate, providing distinctive vocal contrast while Latz  explores the soprano end of her range. You Are, another unconventional composition,  dedicated to her husband, articulates her devotion through a sung love poem and Apfelbaum’s responsive, delicate and fluid tenor. And in the swinging  title  track, everyone has some fun  while  Latz’s “whimsical” lyric describes various animals getting together and hanging out under the Fig Tree. Her vocal improvisation is a menagerie of whistles, purrs, meows and growls, giving  an overall effect of ‘Johnny Morris meets Jazz’. Not a track for the purists, but possibly an amiable introduction to the genre for children…..
The 2 strands of this album - jazz standards, especially ballads, and original compositions / World Music - don't quite meld together. However they do  illustrate  the quality and distinctive nature of Deborah  Latz’s repertoire.
Deborah Latz - Fig Tree is available from May 7, 2013
Debra M.

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