Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Billy Boy Arnold: “As long as you don't think old you're good.” - DownBeat, December, 2023.

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...

Postage

16051 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1058 of them this year alone and, so far, 12 this month (Dec. 6).

From This Moment On ...

December

Thu 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay, Newcastle. 12 noon - 4:00pm. £26.00 (inc 3-course meal in in St Mary's Lighthouse Suite). SOLD OUT!
Thu 07: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 07: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.Donations. Feat. Mark Sanders. CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. £5.00. Downstairs. CANCELLED!
Thu 07: Tees Hot Club: Just Friends @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. Guest band night w. Richie Emmerson, Ian Bosworth, Dave Archbold, Ron Smith, Mark Hawkins. 9:00pm.

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. £7.00.
Fri 08: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Woodland Village Hall, Bishop Auckland. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Fri 08: Sleep Suppressor + Redwell @ Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv); £5.00. student.
Fri 08: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert's Church, Shadforth, Co. Durham.
Fri 08: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £8.00.

Sat 09: Prudhoe Community Band @ Central Station, Newcastle. 10:00am - 12 noon. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 09: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 1:00pm.
Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Middleton & Todridge Village Hall, Morpeth. 7:30pm. £12.00., £6.00.
Sat 09: Paul Skerritt @ Slaley Hall, Hexham NE47 0BX. 7:30pm. From £42.00.

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Alan Law, Paul Grainger & Abbie Finn @ Darlington Market, Market Square, Darlington. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘Christmas Market’ outdoor gig. Wrap up warm!
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Funk Soul Sista @ Stack, Seaburn. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Beth Clarke @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Whittingham Memorial Institute, Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 10: Tele-Port @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Zhenya Strigalev.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Interim Final Recitals @ Newcastle University. Details TBC.

Tue 12: Stu Collingwood Organ Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £10.00.

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Friday, November 01, 2013

Paul Dunmall Sextet @ Cluny 2. October 29.

 Paul Dunmall (tenor  saxophone, flute &  pipes), Mike Fletcher (alto saxophone & flute), Percy Pursglove (trumpet), Mike Hurley (keyboards), Chris Mapp (double bass) & Mark Sanders (drums)
(Review by Russell/Photos by Ken Drew)
We were at his fiftieth and we reconvened this week on the occasion of his sixtieth. In between times some of us caught Paul Dunmall on numerous visits to Tyneside. Now in his sixtieth year, the self effacing reeds maestro looked no different with the passing decade and if anything, sounded better than ever. Dunmall assembled a sextet of ‘masters of their instruments’ to celebrate the milestone with a three date tour. In improv circles a three date tour constitutes a marathon stretch on the road, the equivalent of Led Zeppelin in their prime doing fifty eight nights out of sixty



Cluny 2 (the Cluny’s ‘other space’) drew a good sized crowd (a few short of arena proportions) to hear what Dunnall was up to. Well, what a surprise! On stage (a modest affair) music stands fought for a place amongst the instruments and instrument stands. Rewind…music stands? Sheet music? But this was to be an improv gig. The first of two sets presented Dunmall’s written music – suites I, II, III, IV and more, titles, if any, undisclosed. Frontline woodwind and brass read their parts and in the tradition of Miles and Trane walked off stage leaving the soloist or duo in the spotlight. Piano, bass and drums swung like the proverbial. Mark Sanders, the first call percussionist on the British improv scene, revealed another side to his playing with some of the fiercest, thrilling drumming heard on Tyneside since Martin Drew. Bassist Chris Mapp swung it big time and the two-handed Mike Hurley leapt from French impressionism to the Post Modern with ease. Dunmall and Mike Fletcher worked together as flautists and later as pipers. The bandleader’s tenor solos were of epic proportions, as good as you’ll hear, Fletcher acquitted himself admirably on alto and trumpeter Percy Pursglove gave a brilliant display; development of solo, timing, fingers a blur, breath control.
Written sections gave way to the improvised yet all the while the underlying structure held firm. Many a mainstream fan would have taken something, taken much, from the set. Second set found us on more familiar Dunmall territory. The improviser took centre stage. His band mates were similarly off the leash; Mapp deployed electronics, engaging feedback, Sanders must have bumped his head during the interval because on resumption he was his old improv self! The sceptics (those all too quick to deride the improv form), had they been present, would surely have concluded that it isn’t such a leap from ‘jazz’ to ‘improv’. Who knows, they could have been tempted to purchase a CD on the night. A memorable Paul Dunmall gig. In ten years time there will be another one (and others in the meantime). Make sure you’re there.                

Russell.       

1 comment :

joesh said...

I think there's really only one comment which I could honestly make ..... "I wish I'd been there!", wow sounds like a good evening. Interesting to see Paul in this type of line up. I really liked his recent release with Mark Hanslip "Weeping Idols", interesting to see that band live one of these days.

Blog Archive