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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

17372 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 656 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (Sept. 17).

From This Moment On ...

September

Thu 19: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 19: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 19: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Kevin Eland, Dan Johnson, Jeremy McMurray, Ron Smith.

Fri 20: Lindsay Hannon’s Tom Waits for No Man @ Gala Theatre, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 20: Rob Hall & Chick Lyall @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free (donations). SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Leeway @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. The Old Black Cat Jazz Club. CANCELLED!
Fri 20: Gaz Hughes Trio @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 1:00-2:45pm. Free.
Sat 21: Vieux Carré Hot Four @ The Beehive, Hartley Lane, Earsdon Whitley Bay NE25 0SZ. 4:30pm-6:30pm.
Sat 21: Baghdaddies @ Two by Two, Albion Row, Byker, Newcastle NE6 1RQ. 6:00pm.
Sat 21: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Northumberland Club, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sat 21: Jude Murphy & Alan Law @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 22: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Jason Isaacs @ St James’ STACK, Newcastle. 2:30-4:30pm. Free.
Sun 22: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Richard Herdman @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 22: Remy CB Band @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 8:30pm. Free. Remi, 2024 Newcastle Uni graduate, superb soul/blues voice!

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Paul Booth with the Paul Edis Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert! SOLD OUT!

Tue 24: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. £12.00. (£10.00. adv. from Tully’s of Rothbury). Coquetdale Jazz.
Tue 24: Sarah Gillespie @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors). £16.50. Duo performance with Chris Montague.

Wed 25: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 25: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 25: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 25: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Middlesbrough Theatre. 7:30pm.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Film Review ‘Beware of Mr Baker’ Director Jay Bulger

(Review by Steve.)
This movie begins as it ends with the 75 year old Baker breaking the directors nose on camera by attacking him with a  cane. 
This is not so much a ‘Rockumentary’  as a ‘Jazzumentary’ for Ginger Baker is first and foremost a Jazz drummer although he found  fame and fortune with  cult rock outfits Cream and Blind Faith. To this day his drumming heroes are Phil Seamen, Max Roach, Art Blakey and Elvin Jones. As Eric Clapton says on camera he was in a different league to the two rock drumming  giants of the late 60’s and early 70s John Bonham and Keith Moon .
Clapton explains that Baker is not just a drummer but a consummate musician able to compose, arrange and lead. Amazingly, unlike the aforementioned two rock drum legends  he is still alive despite leading a similar life of debauchery and serial drug abuse.
Baker, age 14, first got into Jazz when acting as a decoy for a gang nicking records he heard Max Roach on the ‘Quintet of the Year’ album (the other four members were Dizzy, Bird, Bud Powell and Mingus) he stole the LP despite not having a record player and subsequently got ‘strapped’ by his mum when she found out.
 In the late 70’s Baker was the first musician to really get into ‘World Music’  and he went to live in Nigeria for several years to collaborate with the great Fela Kuti. Bizarrely it was also whilst in Nigeria that he got into Polo which has subsequently become a life’s obsession so much so that Ginger seems to have chukkered all of his money on importing dozens of horses to which ever country his nomadic lifestyle takes him.  
This biopic, like its protagonist, pulls no punches. It makes great use of archive photographs and animated charcoal drawings to illustrate scenes from  Mr Baker’s colourful past.  
Baker comes across as a thoroughly unpleasant character despite being one of the giants of modern Jazz/Rock drumming.  To be a member of his family either musically or domestically seems to have been a fraught and literally threatening experience. However, as far as this movie is concerned he is a riveting, engaging,  humorous yet frightening subject – recommended viewing!
‘Beware of Mr Baker’ - Tyneside Cinema 13:55 today (May 30).

1 comment :

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the very useful synopsis. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie, although sadly I can't get to the screening at the (wonderful) Tyneside Cinema. I'll have to wait for the DVD release.
Ginger's still very active (I suspect the unfortunate reality is that he needs the money). Ginger Baker's Jazz Confusion features Ginger, Pee Wee Ellis on sax, Alec Dankworth on bass (son of Johnny Dankworth & Cleo Laine) and African "drum driver" Abass Dodoo on percussion. Jazz laced with African rhythm. They played The Cluny last year - I really recommend making the effort to see them (before it's too late!). Check out the upcoming tour dates here if interested http://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/ginger-bakers-jazz-confusion.
Thanks again for the film review. Whilst he's undoubtedly a "difficult" human being, his continued musical legacy's right up there with the best of them - and as you point out, covering more genres than most.
Cheers, Les.

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