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Bebop Spoken There

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The Things They Say!

Hudson Music: Lance's "Bebop Spoken Here" is one of the heaviest and most influential jazz blogs in the UK.

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'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

16401(and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 281 of them this year alone and, so far, 78 this month (April 27).

From This Moment On ...

April

Mon 29: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 29: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30-8:30pm. Free. ‘Opus de Funk’ (a tribute to Horace Silver).

Tue 30: Celebrate with Newcastle Jazz Co-op. 5:30-7:00pm. Free.
Tue 30: Swing Manouche @ Newcastle House Hotel, Rothbury. 7:30pm. A Coquetdale Jazz event.
Tue 30: Clark Tracey Quintet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ’10 Years á Co-op’ festival event.

May

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: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: The Eight Words - A Jazz Suite @ Newcastle Cathedral, St Nicholas Square, Newcastle NE1 1PF. Tel: 0191 232 1939. 7:30pm. £20.00. (£17.00. student/under 18). Tim Boniface Quartet & Malcolm Guite (poet). Jazz & poetry: The Eight Words (St John Passion).
Thu 02: Funky Drummer @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 02: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 02: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm. Guest band: Mark Toomey (alto sax); Jeremy McMurray (keys) Alan Rudd (bass); Paul Smith (drums)

Fri 03: Dean Stockdale Trio @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. 8:00pm.
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: Jake Leg Jug Band @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: Front Porch Blues Band @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Fri 03: TBC @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Blind Pig Blues Club.
Fri 03: Boys of Brass @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm. £5.00.

Sat 04: Jeff Barnhart’s Mr Men @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. £10.00. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 04: Jeff Barnhart @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free. Barnstorming solo piano!
Sat 04: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free (donations).
Sat 04: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm.

Sun 05: Smokin’ Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm. £7.50.
Sun 05: Sue Ferris Quintet plays Horace Silver @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm.
Sun 05: Guido Spannocchi @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 06: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Greg Spero Quartet @ Bridge Hotel May 11

Greg Spero (Clavinova); De'Sean Jones (tenor); Junius Paul (bass, bass guitar); Makaya McCraven (drums).
(Review by Lance/Photo courtesy of Ken Drew).
The four Chicago based musicians took to the stage one by one. The double bass kicked things off. A tall player, a tall instrument, a lot of sound. Junius Paul a genius of the genre. McCraven sat behind the kit and the groove was forming. De'Sean Jones, toting tenor (1946 Holton) had his say and the tension mounted. Finally, the Emperor himself entered the arena, took his place on the throne and, after twiddling knobs and pushing buttons, the quartet was complete. Lift off took place - destination unknown.
The rest of the evening was a musical blur - so much happening it was almost impossible to comprehend. Spero the living proof that music, and jazz in particular, should never be boring and always be entertaining. McCraven - to describe him as formidable would be an understatement, fantastic more like it stick an adjective of your own choice in front of the above f words and you've got the picture.
An amazing Autumn Leaves that was like no other Autumn Leaves I've ever heard and I've heard plenty! If this was Autumn Leaves it should have been retitled Stormy Weather - here comes another f word - fabulous!
Interplay between tenor and piano, unison passages, the drum solo(s) to end all drum solos and the tenor solo on the last number - fast and furious! Bass player never faltered and Greg? He can play and how! One of the nicest guys around too.
Special thanks to Andy and Zoe for arranging this Splinter gig. They were rewarded with a near full house.
I didn't get the 27 bus tonight - I floated home on a cloud!
The Quartet are at Prudhoe tonight - check out the cloud times.
Lance.
PS: Greg does a solo spot on Thursday at Newcastle Uni. - support to the Roger Beaujolais Quartet in a JNE gig. Greg doing supports!  
PPS: All four were on Newcastle Brown Ale.

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1 comment :

Lance said...

Close on 30 comments on F/b re this review!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 1:15:00 pm

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