Bebop Spoken There

Ludovic Beier (Django Festival Allstars): ''Manouche means 'free man,' and gypsies have been travelers since they migrated west from India to Europe.'' (DownBeat March, 2026)

The Things They Say!

This is a good opportunity to say thanks to BSH for their support of the jazz scene in the North East (and beyond) - it's no exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for them many, many fine musicians, bands and projects across a huge cross section of jazz wouldn't be getting reviewed at all, because we're in the "desolate"(!) North. (M & SSBB on F/book 23/12/24)

Postage

18402 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 266 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Mar. 31 ), 76

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

From This Moment On

April

Wed 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 01: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 01: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 02: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £5.00. Subject: Musicians playing classical & orchestral music.
Thu 02: The Noel Dennis Band @ Prohibition Bar, Albert Road, Middlesbrough TS1 2RU. 7:00pm (doors). £10.84. Quartet plus special guest Zoë Gilby. Over 21s only.
Thu 02: Renegade Brass Band @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 02: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00. adv..
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 03: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 03: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 03: King Bees @ Billy Bootleggers, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). Free. Chicago blues.

Sat 04: Jake Leg Jug Band @ St Augustine’s Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Tees Bay Swing Band @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Hartlepool. 1:30-3:30pm. Free. Open rehearsal.
Sat 04: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £27.50. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Anthropology. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 04: Wild Women of Wylam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors). £10.00.
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Ian Bosworth Quintet @ Chapel, Middlesbrough. 1:00pm. Free Quintet + guest Neil Brodie (trumpet).
Sun 05: Mark Williams & Tom Remon @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 05: Sax Choir @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 05: Jazzmain @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £14.00., £12.00., £7.00.

Mon 06: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 06: Saltburn Big Band @ Saltburn House Hotel. 7:00-9:00pm. Free.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

CD Review: Burak Bedikyan - Circle of Life

Burak Bedikyan (pno); Chris Potter (ten); Peter Washington (bs); Bill Stewart (dms).
(Review by Lance)
The moment I heard the opening First Steps I said "Monk with Charlie Rouse." Then it dawned on me that this guy was playing a lot more notes than Monk even though some of the harmonies and intervals were similar. However, unlike Monk, these sounded right first time round!
Bedikyan could be the greatest Turkish jazz musician ever - I've forgotten the name of the other one, so maybe he is.
What is certain is that, irrespective of nationality, the Turkish pianist is set to make his mark on jazz piano playing. Rich probing harmonies on tunes such as the Beatles' Here, There and Everywhere firmly entrenching this otherwise insignificant song into the jazz repertoire. Now 35, Bedikyan, possibly because of a Christian upbringing in a Muslim community, cites his early influences as western pop and rock music, discovering jazz through his fathers record collection - Peterson, Garner etc.
Those influences and many more were absorbed into his playing (and indeed into that of every other jazz pianist in the world!) Gradually the influences were put on the back-burner as he developed his own individuality which is what we hear on this recording. 
Potter, forward thinking New York saxist, ventures outside of the comfort zone on Prayer For Forgiveness Part One taking Bedikyan along for the ride. It's a bumpy journey but they survive as can be heard in the Serenity of Part Two.
The Joy of Giving is just that - sheer Joy all round. Potter's contemporary hard bop sound, Bedikyan's comping, contra lines and solos, Washington's bass, Stewart's drum take out - all combine to achieve as near perfection as, by the nature of the beast, you'll ever get in jazz.
TF, BB's tribute to the late Tommy Flanagan raises Bedikyan himself into the great man's inner circle. Perhaps even his spiritual heir...
There have been so many good discs released this year that to select one is nigh impossible. Tell you what though - I don't know how long my short-list will be but I guarantee Circle of Life will be high up on it!
Burak Bedikyan - Circle of Life is available on Steeplechase Look Out Records.
Lance.
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1 comment :

Burak Bedikyan (on f/b) said...

A fresh review about "Circle of Life" is published on the highly regarded blog "Bebop Spoken Here" ! With all my gratitude to Mr. Lance Liddle !

Thursday, November 21, 2013 11:01:00 pm

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