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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Roly Veitch / Sue Ferris Trio @ The Gala, Durham.

Roly Veitch (gtr); Sue Ferris (ten/fl); Andy Champion (bs)
(Review and photo by Jerry)
As a lunchtime jazz venue, The Gala is new to me: very new! A big, long room it needed to be with almost all seats taken by an estimated 80-90 people), with bright lights, shiny chrome, and laminate floors. For all the glass and laminate, the acoustics are actually very good and the jazz served up was excellent.
The line-up was visually reminiscent of John Cleese “looking down on” the Two Ronnies with Andy, on the left, towering over Sue, in the middle, who didn't “tower” but still out-topped Roly! To be fair to Roly, he was sitting down! Solos for all in the opener, All of Me, set the tone and showed that, musically, all were equal here! Beautiful Love featured an excellent bass solo which made me think of Rondo alla Turca (don’t know why!) and There Will Never Be Another You brought vocals from Roly and some nice interplay between guitar and sax.
My Romance had foot-tapping sax and subtle guitar (not bad for one weaned, according to the programme notes, on Hank Marvin!) but struck me most for the Lorenz Hart lyrics in which he rejects all the clichés and handy love-song rhymes – moon, lagoon, month of May, hideaway – to assert that all he needs is “you”. Clever stuff, a cut above most lyricists post-1950 and one of the delights, today, of listening to such a fine selection of standards. “Fine” (and also with excellent lyrics) describes their next treat: Kern / Hammerstein’s All the Things You Are.
Bonfa’s bossa nova, Manha de Carnival/A Day in the Life of a Fool illustrated, for me, how the whole mood of a composition can be changed by the instruments on which it is played. I know this tune best as “Black Orpheus” and have always heard it with trombone taking the lead. With no drums, with mellifluous, skipping flute instead of lugubrious trombone and with a galloping bass solo thrown into the mix, it is altogether lighter: A Day in the Life of a HAPPY Fool as opposed to The Tears of a Clown.
Then, aptly, we had Autumn Leaves (which I was trying to brush up this morning) during which I was craning my neck to see who was “brushing” the drums during the bass solo: it was Roly, oh-so-gently strumming in a most un-Marvinlike way!
The Sinatra favourite, In the Wee Small Hours brought gentle vocals and lyrical flute – a beautiful rendition of Sinatra’s “sublime”. The blues, Sandu, closed the set with rasping sax and foot-tapping solos, after which time had flown to the extent that none was left for us to Look for the Silver Lining (number 10 on the programme) – but we needed no consolatory advice: it had been great!
Jerry.

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