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Bebop Spoken There

Branford Marsalis: "As ignorance often forces us to do, you make a generalisation about a musician based on one specific record or one moment in time." - (Jazzwise June 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!"

Postage

15491 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 512 of them this year alone and, so far, 133 this month (May 31).

From This Moment On ...

Mon 05: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 06: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 06: Jam session @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 7:30pm. House trio: Stu Collingwood (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Sid White (drums).

Wed 07: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 07: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 07: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 07: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 08: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED! BACK ON JUNE 15.
Thu 08: Easington Colliery Brass Band @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 08: Faye MacCalman + Blue Dust Archive @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Dilutey Juice + Ceramic @ The Ampitheatre, Sea Road, South Shields. 7:00pm. Free. A South Tyneside Festival event.
Thu 08: Lara Jones w. Vigilance State @ Lubber Fiend, Blandford Square, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 08: Michael Littlefield @ the Harbour View, Roker, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Country blues.
Thu 08: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 09: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 09: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 09: Castillo Nuevo @ Revolución de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30-8:30pm.
Fri 09: Emma Rawicz @ Sage Gateshead. 8:00pm.

Sat 10: Front Porch Three @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Americana, blues, jazz etc.
Sat 10: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sun 11: WORKSHOP: Tim Richards' Jazz Piano Workshop @ JG Windows, Newcastle. Time TBC. Further details tel. 0191 232 1356.
Sun 11: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 11: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 11: Groovetrain @ Innisfree Sports & Social Club, Longbenton NE12 8TY. Doors 6:30pm. £15.00 (£7.00. under 16).
Sun 11: Jeffrey Hewer Collective @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 12: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Friday, October 31, 2014

Gregory Porter/Nina Ferro @ Sage Gateshead October 30.

Gregory Porter (vcl); Chip Crawford (pno); Aaron James (bs); Emanuel Harold (dms); Yosuke Sato (alt).
Well, what can I say? Sage Gateshead was three tiers full. A sure indication that they've got it right! Gregory Porter is quite an amazing performer and to pull such a following is something else. And they all loved him!
As well they should.
The big man in the funny hat gave an assured performance and, if I hadn't heard him earlier this year at Hoochie, this would have probably been a rave review. But, how can you compare the intimate setting of a 250 max bar where, if you got there early enough, you could almost shake hands with the star, with row BB in a 1,640 auditorium where the big man (and he is a big man) was but a distant object?!
The program was near enough the same as at HC, the band likewise, and Yosuke Sato remains one of the best alto sax players I've heard this (or any) year but, unlike the adoring masses around me, it didn't quite connect with me ...if only I hadn't been to Hoochie in March...
-----
Nina Ferro (vcl); Grant Windsor (pno/vcl)..
When I see those dreaded words "Plus Support" I groan and hope my seat is close enough to an exit to enable me to escape and "support" the bar. However, when the support act turned out to be Nina Ferro all thoughts of another glass of Pinot Grigio vanished (my bank manager will be pleased to know!) and I remained firmly glued to my seat.
I first heard Nina Ferro back in 2009 at the Spice of Life down in Soho - a venue even smaller than Hoochie - and although I hadn't heard her since I knew she was still very active on the London scene.
How would she fare in Sage Gateshead's Hall One with only a pianist in support?
I say "only" but when that "only" is Grant Windsor the only becomes totally superfluous! I've heard the Aussie pianist several times with Clare Teal (by coincidence, the lady sitting next to me, Megan, was also from Down Under) and with Grant at the Steinway it was second only to Nina having the Northern Sinfonia in her corner.
Nina's set included several numbers from her latest CD (soon to be reviewed here) as well as Up On The Roof (Drifters?) and set the scene for the "Big Picture".
Lance.

5 comments :

Liz said...

well Lance, I read in today's Readers' letters in our local newspaper that, having played York Barbican on Tuesday Gregory said that we had "fantastic acoustics " here. Maybe that helped....

Lance said...

Nothing wrong with the acoustics at Sage Gateshead as well you know and Gregory Porter does have a great voice. The point I was trying to make was the contrast between having heard him singing in "your front room" and hearing him in a concert hall!

stevebfc said...

Fine singer she maybe but having Nina Ferro as a support act for Gregory Porter was akin to having Cliff Richard support the Sex Pistols. I left half way through a set to secure a pint of Wylam which at £4.95 was a bargain given the circumstances.
As for the great man himself I can only imagine how much better he must have been at the intimate Hoochie my enjoyment wasn’t helped by the giant of man sat in front who produced a total eclipse of the stage. As for the band as I was largely unimpressed Sato’s solo’s being more cheesy than a box of overripe Camembert. Clearly I was in the minority as the X Factor sized crowd seemed to love every minute of the show but I personally thought Mr Porter failed to carry this one off.

Lance said...

Steve, in the unlikely event of me ever having been at a Sex Pistols gig I'd have welcomed having Cliff Richards on the bill!
As regards the alto player all I can say is "Pass me the cheeseboard I rather like Camembert!"

Hugh said...

The alto sax playing was technically brilliant, I thought, but some of the arpeggiated solos were a bit "samey". I did love the brief exposure to soprano sax during one of the quieter numbers though.
Geoffrey was, well, "The Man"!
As regards the support act. I think Nina Ferro was an excellent choice and complemented the main man perfectly. GP may have considerable jazz influences, but is certainly not "just" a jazz artist, soul being the other main contender I would have thought.

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