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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).

Sunday, December 08, 2013

The Dean Stockdale Trio @ Salsa Café December 7

Dean Stockdale (piano) Paul Grainger (D. Bass) Steve Doyle (Drums)
(Review by Kath Jobes).
My evening didn't get off to a good start… I went along to take a look at the opening night of the Jazz Café on Pink Lane… what a disappointment … total lack of ambience, sterile… not even a Christmas decoration… it’s become a trendy wine bar with almost every aspect of the previous history eradicated… quite a shock to the Jazz Community… my favourite cosy bench seat where I could be found many a Saturday evening gone… and all that was left of the Crombie days were a couple of mirrors and a light fitting… It saddens me that the renovation was not more in a more sympathetic way… but times move on and I suppose new brooms like to sweep clean… let’s hope that the addition of a few pictures and perhaps some jazz artefacts will bring back some of the ambience… it was nice to see Pete Gilligan back in his spot at the Piano, and although I didn't stay long the audience seemed to enjoy his playing… 
So on to the real event of the night… Salsa Café - a lovely Jazz venue, full of ambience, friendly faces and fabulous food.
The first set commenced with a lovely arrangement of  Like Someone In Love, the key change was a delightful aspect and a most agreeable start to this part of the evening… well things could only get better… so as we moved onto Oleo the lively and varied percussion of Steve Doyle as he used his hands to pat out the rhythms and it was all beautifully coordinated with the occasional nod of the head from Dean…. The language of Jazz never ceases to amaze me. 
The Michael Legrand number You Must Believe In Spring brought visions of walking down lanes of blossom laden trees in the warm spring weather as skilled variations effused from Dean Stockdale’s Piano.  The visions continued as we walked along the sea shore to the melodious Wave featuring an easy-going bass solo from Paul Grainger.   The foot tapping Kelly’s Blues, wasn't at all blue and Steve Doyle displayed his skill with a cheerful drum solo that brought a smile to the faces of the other musicians.  My favourite number of the night came next with a carefree arrangement of the Beatles number – Blackbird… although from the concentration on Paul’s face I could see that the interesting changes in the arrangement were not as carefree as it seemed to the general audience, but I found it to be lovely, soft and engaging.  The next number had us bobbing along to I Want to be Happy… the final number of the set had a leisurely introduction to All The Things You Are… the tempo picked up and a skilful bass solo brought this set to an  amenable end.
A wistful start to the second set in the form of Nostalgia in Times Square with another lovely arrangement from Dean Stockdale followed by a bluesy God Bless the Child with delightful trills from the piano.  High Heel Sneakers retained the bluesy feel with another superb drum solo from Doyle and then we went Somewhere Over The Rainbow as the wizardry of Dean’s arrangements continued to bring a little of his mischievous character out… as he tinkled out… ‘You’d better watch out’ … just a little bit ‘Wicked’! (but if you have seen the musical, you will know, no one mourns the wicked)  And there was no one in mourning as Dean went on to play his truly lovely arrangement of Honeysuckle Rose, with a spectacular piano solo that again brought out the playful side of this highly talented musician… with a riff of pop goes the weasel!

The set moved on to a Gershwin tune in the form of Lady Be Good, with more of the exquisite walking bass and soft brushes accompanying Dean’s skilful playing.  Sonny Rollins’ St Thomas commenced with a light tinkling from the keys as the gentle piano arrangement moved onto an intricate bass solo from Grainger before returning to the magic of this accomplished trio.  The final number of the night was an expressive Georgia On My Mind and a simply gorgeous soft piano bringing an evocative end to the evening…but we were not quite at the end… a quick reminder about the Jam Sessions on Sunday afternoons 3 – 7pm at Salsa Café, and then a few emotional words from Abi Lewis to thank the Jazz community for all of their help and support, particular acknowledgement to Mr Paul Grainger who has been ‘her rock’  in raising the funding to enable the documentary about the highly respected Keith Crombie to go ahead… Abi we are all looking forward to seeing this… thank you for this legacy, I am certain Keith is looking down and smiling.
Kath J.

2 comments :

Lance said...

Well Kath, I agree the new Jazz Café is a work in progress and it has not attempted to capture the ambience of the old place. How could it? It took Crombie nigh on 20 years to create the jazz slum (and I use the expression endearingly) that was "The Caff". To try and even half achieve the ambience of the old place would never work. Crombie was the ambience not fixtures and fittings. Rather than slag off after a visit on opening night let's just be pleased that another venue for jazz in the city has opened its doors.

Anonymous said...

Is it a jazz venue? Or is it a wine bar with jazz in the background (for now)?

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