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Bebop Spoken There

Abbie Finn: "Even though there's a lot of great work being done to promote women in jazz, I still come up against some attitudes! I pulled up at a recording session with my drums in the car and the studio owner said, 'I'm sorry, this space is reserved for the drummer!'" - (Jazzwise April 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

15229 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 248 of them this year alone and, so far, 61 this month (March 20).

From This Moment On ...

March

Fri 24: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 24: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 24: FILM: Mo' Better Blues @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 7:00pm.
Fri 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Scarth Hall, Staindrop, Co. Durham. 8:00pm. £10.00.
Fri 24: Archipelago + Bulbils @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.

Sat 25: Vermont Big Band @ Walker Community Centre, Walker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Fundraiser for Benfield Juniours Football Club. Hot food available, BYOB.
Sat 25: John Logan & Friends @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Rat Pack, Motown etc. 8:00pm. Free (donations).

Sun 26: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm.
Sun 26: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 26: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 26: Outlines @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. JNE promotion (upstairs).

Mon 27: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 28: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 28: Sanaz Lavasani Trio @ Black Swan, Newcastle Arts Centre. 8:00pm. £12.00 (£10.00. adv).

Wed 29: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 29: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 29: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 29: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 30: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library. 2:30-4:30pm. £2.00. All welcome.
Thu 30: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. Back to 1:00pm stomp off. Free.
Thu 30: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm. Free.
Thu 30: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm.
Thu 30: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Vasilis Xenopoulos w. Paul Edis Trio & Black Bull Blaydon. November 23

Vasilis Xenopoulos (ten); Paul Edis (pno); Andy Champion (bs); Adam Sinclair (dms) + Zoe Gilby (vcl).
(Review by Lance/photos by Jerry).
In his review of Friday's gig by the same line-up at Darlington, Russell just about covered all the bases. The only thing he got wrong was that they would be queuing round the block for this one. They weren't, but nor were there many empty seats. David Gosling, who presented a concert by Edis and Xenopoulos at Lanercost Priory on Saturday night, described that duo gig as "musically the best ever played there" so the portents for tonight were good. 
The participants didn't disappoint.

I'll Close my Eyes - I did and it was as if I was floating on a cloud of sound - Vasy get's as good a tone on tenor as anyone I've heard since time immemorial, and he has the ideas to match. No hesitancy, just logical progressions. Edis too is in that league - the block chords, the dazzling runs, the sympathetic 'comping, the fluent command of the keyboard - the stuff that many pianists can only dream about (or practice 24/7!) Andy Champion - was a bass player ever more appropriately named? Fullness of sound, dexterity of finger-work, it's all there. Adam Sinclair - light and shade are surely his middle names. The only drummer I know who can cause a musical volcano to erupt without batting an eyelid!
All these elements came together on In Walked Bud. This featured a tenor solo of Dexter Gordon-like propinquity. The effortless flow, the logical, seamless, insertion of quotes that invariably bring a knowing, superior, smile to those who recognise a couple of bars from Tea For Two!
Manteca - with its rhapsodic middle 8 - Mo' Better Blues and Johnny Mandel's A Time For Love which had a virtuoso-like tenor cadenza leading us to Four Brothers.
This is well named as the four guys on stage played like Siamese quads so well did they gel.
Four Brothers is one of the numbers on Vasy's Wind Machine CD - reviewed here in April after a knock-out concert at The Bridge Hotel. If you didn't get it then - get it now!
Blaydon Jazz Club Bossman Roly was smiling. He related how, 5 years back, he walked up the stairs of the Side Café down on the Quayside and heard this fantastic tenor sound - Vasy. (Actually Roly it was May 5, 2008 - see review). Since then, Roly has booked the tenor player to play at Blaydon on several occasions and tonight certainly maintained the standard of previous visits.
Second set and I got back from the bar just in time for Just in Time, followed by the wailingest Parker's Mood, and a Vasy original that showcased Adam Sinclair.
Next up a surprise guest, or perhaps not such a surprise seeing as how her hubby was on bass, Zoë Gilby gave a stunning rendition of It Never Entered My Mind - so stunning I even went to the trouble of putting the diaeresis over the e! The song was a request from evergreen Blaydon supporter Norma.
As the evening drew to a close with a blistering Cherokee and a funky Groove Merchant the uppermost thought was; "when are you coming back?"
Lance.

2 comments :

JC said...

Although I know Blaydon Jazz Club has been running for many years, this gig was my first visit and I quickly realised that I've been missing out on a very good location for jazz. The room is considerably better than many pub venues with a nice big stage and a small bar area so that the emphasis is on the music, which is as it should be. Also, the vast majority of the seats have an excellent view of the stage (however, as befits a 'blow-in' arriving late, I got the one place where I could only see three of the musicians and if I hadn't already known that the unflappable Adam Sinclair was on drums, I would have thought there were at least a couple of guys whipping up a storm). As has been described already by Lance and Russell the music was exceptional with four terrific musicians who work really well together and a nice extra was Zoe Gilby joining in from the audience for one song (not something seen very much nowadays outside jam sessions). The performance was very well received by the attentive audience who were welcoming and engaged me in friendly conversation about the club after the session. All in all an excellent night out and well worth the travel. Now that I've got the spirit of adventure.....next stop, Darlington.
JC

Lance said...

JC - Darlington should be no problem for a Globetrotter such as yourself! Talking about Globes, as we are, If you are in our part of the hemisphere next week, I recommend (highly) Samual Eagles Quartet at the Globe, Newcastle next Wednesday (Dec. 3)

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