Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Spasmo Brown: “Jazz is an ice cream sandwich! It's the Fourth of July! It's a girl with a waterbed!”. (Syncopated Times, July, 2024).

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...

Josh Weir: I love the writing on bebop spoken here... I think the work you are doing is amazing.

Postage

17444 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 718 of them this year alone and, so far, 100 this month (Oct. 10).

From This Moment On ...

October

Sun 13: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 13: Emma Wilson @ Tyne Bar, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Blues.
Sun 13: Catfish Keith @ The Cluny. 7:00pm. Country blues.
Sun 13: Cath Stephens & Paul Grainger @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Stephens & Grainger, one third of a triple bill.
Sun 13: Dulcie May Moreno Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Sun 13: Jazz Jam @ Fabio’s, Saddler St., Durham. 8:00pm. Free. A DUJS event. All welcome.

Mon 14: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 14: Black is the Color of My Voice @ Hippodrome, Darlington. 7:30pm. Apphia Campbell’s one-woman show inspired by Nina Simone, performed by Nicholle Cherrie.

Tue 15: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Alan Law (piano), Paul Grainger (double bass), Bailey Rudd (drums).

Wed 16: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 16: Cath Stephens’ improvisation workshop @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 4:30-6:00pm. Collaborative group focusing on vocal improvisations.
Wed 16: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 16: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Olivia Cuttill Quintet @ King’s Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 17: Moonlight Serenade Orchestra UK: Glenn Miller & Big Band Spectacular @ Phoenix Theatre, Blyth. 7:30pm.
Thu 17: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free. Ragtime piano. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 17: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ The Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 17: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guests Jeremy McMurray (keys); Richie Emmerson (tenor sax); Mark Toomey (alto sax); Adrian Beadnell (bass). 8:30pm. Free.

Fri 18: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 18: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 18: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert’s, Crook. 7:30pm.
Fri 18: Chet Set @ Seventeen Nineteen, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Pete Tanton & co.
Fri 18: Michael Woods @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm (upstairs). A Hoodoo Blues dance & social event. £10.00. class & social (£10.00., £7.50., £5.00. social only). Michael Woods (country blues guitar) on stage 9:00pm.
Fri 18: East Coast Swing Band @ Hexham Abbey. 7:30pm. £9.00.
Fri 18: Ben Crosland Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 18: Durham University Jazz Society’s ‘High Standards’ @ Music Dept. Music Room, Divinity House, Palace Green, Durham University DH1 3RS. 8:009:30pm. Tel: 0191 334 1419. £7.00., £5.00.
Fri 18: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Blues Underground, Nelson St., Newcastle. 9:00pm. Free.

Sat 19: Jeff Hewer Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 19: Howlin’ Mat @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Country blues guitar & vocals. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

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

Friday, November 21, 2014

John Wilson Orchestra - Cole Porter in Hollywood. Sage Gateshead.

John Wilson (cond/md/arr etc.); Anna-Jane Casey/Scarlet Strallon/Matthew Ford/Richard Morrison (vcls); +full orchestra).
(Review by Lance).
A lovely afternoon listening to some of Cole Porter's finest songs expertly arranged by John Wilson (of Gateshead) and sung by four of the finest interpretors of the idiom.
BSH's Elizabeth of York (AKA as Liz) had made the journey north and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
This wasn't a jazz gig, although there were one or two tasty sax/clarinet breaks and I think I recognised Colin Oxley on guitar, but the music of Porter is timeless and has fuelled the repertoire of most jazz musicians.
After the overture, a medley of Porter tunes, the four singers came forth for Don't Monkey With Broadway. This got the three tier full crowd in the mood for the contrasting I've Got You Under my Skin and then the superb You're The Top. Ford and Casey not only sang Porter's lyric - surely the best ever list song: -
You're the top/You're the Colosseum,/You're the top/You're the Louvre Museum/etc. - but with slight facial gestures that added to the humour of the lyric.
I swear that that song has more verses than Let's Do it which in fact they didn't do!
Space prevents me mentioning all of the highlights but Strallen's So In Love and Morrison's Where is the Life That Late I Led? - both from Kiss Me Kate - stood out. I didn't think the ballet sequence from The Pirate worked - with Gene Kelly and Judy Garland fine, but on its own? The instrumental ballet sequence that did work was the Silk Stockings score and From This Moment On, also from Kate. The latter had the vocal beginning but then went into the dance section. Nobody on stage was dancing but we in the stalls were metaphorically transformed into Bob Fosse, Tommy Rall and Bobby Van - Liz of course was Ann Miller!
Then there was the unknown You Can Do No Wrong that Andre Previn and Porter himself rated as his finest song. Not sure if it is his finest but it sure is fine - check out Judy singing it to Gene Kelly.
There was so much more - too much to mention.
The Broadway bounce of Anna-Jane, the neo-operatic charm of Scarlet, Matthew's belting baritone and Richard's dramatic tenor all combined to make this an afternoon few will forget.
All beautifully brought together by John Wilson and, of course,
Cole Porter!
Lance.

5 comments :

Liz said...

such an excellent review Lance, JW would be proud! Thanks again for a delightful afternoon spent in companionable perfection. We both chuckled in unison, did you notice?

Lance said...

We usually do - great minds and all that!

Phil Kelly said...

A wonderful afternoon at The Sage. Good to see you Lance.

Lance said...

You too Phil - envious of your Birdland T-shirt!

Liz said...

Hello Phil, good to meet you, you could auction that T shirt if times get hard!!

Blog Archive