Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Art Blakey: "You [Bobby Watson] don't want to play too long, because you don't know they're clapping because they're glad you finished!" - (JazzTimes, Nov. 2019)..

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!"

Postage

15867 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 874 of them this year alone and, so far, 72 this month (Sept. 25).

From This Moment On ...

September

Wed 27: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 27: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 27: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Alice Grace Quartet @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 28: Faye MacCalman + Snape/Sankey @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 28: Zoe Rahman @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 28: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.
Thu 28: Speakeasy @ Queen's Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. £15.00. A Southpaw Dance Company presentation. Dance, audio-visuals, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, swing dancers etc.
Thu 28: Mick Cantwell Band @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Ace blues band.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.

Sat 30: John Pope Quintet + Late Girl + Shapeshifters @ Bobik's, Jesmond, Newcastle.
Sat 30: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

OCTOBER

Sun 01: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 01: Dulcie May Moreno sings Portrait of Sheila @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Moreno sings Sheila Jordan with Giles Strong, Mick Shoulder & John Bradford.
Sun 01: Middlesbrough Jazz & Blues Orchestra @ Saltburn Community Hall. 2:00pm.
Sun 01: The Easy Rollers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.70., £11.55.
Sun 01: Brand/Roberts/Champion/Sanders @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sun 01: Papa G's Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 02: FILM: Wattstax; 50th Anniversary @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 8:00pm.

Tue 03: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Paul Wight (drums).

Friday, September 20, 2013

Ruthie Culver and the Utter Jazz Quartet with readings of the works of W H Auden by Nikolas Grace @ Hexham Abbey. Sept 20.

(Review by Peter Ninnim.)
The theme of the concert was  Benjamin Britten's songs with W H Auden's words re-arranged into a jazz score! I was sceptical at first but within a few minutes it was obvious that this was going to be something special. There were so many good things that it is hard to know where to start. Each piece of music was followed by an extract from a W H Auden poem read with great care and feeling by late stand in Nikolas Grace. The pieces were modern jazz to gentle rock; jazz waltz to samba and swinging like mad in places.
Some of you will be familiar with the poem from 4 weddings and a funeral called Funeral Blues and this was one of the outstanding pieces in the second half with a sensitive vocal performance by Ruthie Culver and moving playing by bassist Jonny Gee. Many of the readings were humorous but most were deep, although quite short, messages of intensely felt emotion. Miss Culvers’ singing was a masterclass in clarity of diction and the vocal gymnastics necessary on some of the songs reminded me throughout of Cleo Laine, every aspiring singer in the region should have been listening. This was particularly evident on Now the leaves are falling fast which was supported throughout by stunning piano accompaniment by Dan Hewson and  by the coolest drumming I have heard in years by Andrea Trillo; (Italian George Clooney look alike I'm told).
The final number, When you're feeling like expressing your affection, had a gentle bluesy funk feel to it and had everyone in the audience of over a hundred people moving in their seats. I haven't mentioned Mick Foster so far but he was ever present playing Bass Clarinet; Flute; Soprano, Baritone and C Melody Sax and very evident on this song. Wow!
I should mention that Dan Hewson played trombone as well as piano; Jonny Gee also produced a trumpet or flugelhorn so there was a proper horn section at times!
Despite tickets being £14.00 I thought 100 people was an amazing audience and talking to everyone afterwards it was apparent that the band had made a huge hit. It was great to see the whole group including Nikolas Grace talking to the audience in the interval and after the show. A lesson to all bands I feel.
One last word. The sound system was balanced beautifully and despite the high ceiling and stone walls we could hear every note.
Great concert, thanks Hexham.
Peter Ninnim.

1 comment :

Lance said...

I'm glad I didn't go - my review couldn't have matched that! Thank you Peter, your BSH badge is in the post.

Blog Archive