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Bebop Spoken There

Phillip Lutz: ''That [sight-reading], in turn, led to session work that was well-paying but unsatisfying and, after 18 months, he [John McLaughlin] unceremoniously quit. But he fortuitously hooked up with a couple of fellow northerners, organist Mike Carr and drummer Jackie Denton. They provided entrée to London's premier jazz club, Ronnie Scott's, periodically playing opening sets''. (DownBeat, December 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

17586 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 860 of them this year alone and, so far, 5 this month (Dec. 2).

From This Moment On ...

December

Thu 05: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 05: Jazz Appreciation North East @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:00pm. £4.00. ‘George - named musicians, vocalists & composers (Chisholm, Duke, Lewis, Shearing, Benson, Melly, Gershwin et al)’.
Thu 05: Jools Holland’s R & B Orchestra @ Newcastle City Hall. 7:30pm.
Thu 05: Indigo Jazz Voices @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:45pm. Free.
Thu 05: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. Guest band special with the Middlesbrough Jazz and Blues Orchestra 8pm. Free.

Fri 06: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 06: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 06: Sue Ferris Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 07: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 07: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. £25.00. Tutor: Steve Glendinning. Enrol at: learning@jazz.coop.
Sat 07: Hot Club du Nord @ St. Cuthbert’s Church, Shadforth DH6 1LB. Tel: 01429 823400. 7:30pm. £15.00. (inc. refreshments).
Sat 07: NUJO Jazz Jam @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 07: Bellavana @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 7:45-9:45pm. Free.
Sat 07: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 07: Bluebell Swing @ Repas7 by Night, West St., Berwick. 8:00pm.

Sun 08: The New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘second Sunday in the month’ residency.
Sun 08: Learning & Participation Showcase @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Free. Multi-genre event followed by a jam session. All welcome.
Sun 08: Zoë Gilby Quintet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00.
Sun 08: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 08: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 08: Jason Isaacs @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 5:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Sun 08: Paul Skerritt @ The Black Candle, South Shields. 6:30pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 08: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 08: Durham University Big Band + Durham University Jazz Orchestra: Jazzy Christmas @ Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, North Bailey, Durham DH1 3ET. 7:30-9:30pm. £7.00., £6.00. concs., £5.00. Durham Student Music member. Durham University Jazz Ensembles’ annual charity event.
Sun 08: Jools Holland’s R & B Orchestra @ The Globe, Stockton. 7:30pm.
Sun 08: Mick Beck, Dominic Lash, Paul Hession @ the Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm (doors 7:30pm) JNE. £10.

Mon 09: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30-8:30pm. Free.
Mon 09: Trio Grand @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Mon 09: James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00.

Tue 10: Customs House Big Band @ All Saints Church Hall, Cleadon. 7:30pm. £6.00. The CHBB’s annual Xmas concert featuring Ruth Lambert. A BYOB gig!

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 11: Cath Stephens’ improvisation workshop @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 4:30-6:00pm. Collaborative group focusing on vocal improvisations.
Wed 11: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 11: The Tannery Jam Session @ The Tannery, Gilesgate, Hexham. 7:00-9:00pm. Free. Second Wednesday in the month.
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

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

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Alter Ego @ The Globe - Dec. 19

Dave Hignett (tpt/flug); Keith Robinson (alt); Niall Armstrong (ten/fl); Andy Hawking (pno); Tony Abell (bs); David Francis (dms).
(Review by Peter Ninnim/Photos courtesy of Ken Drew).
What a night at the Globe!
Visiting the Globe is like struggling through the jungle of the Congo; you fight your way between creepers, avoid dangerous animals, duck low hanging branches and then finally arrive at a clearing in the forest to see sparkling in a shaft of sunlight a priceless jewel! OK, so that’s a bit over the top but the Globe is really a jewel in the Newcastle music field.
Last night the Globe featured a band providing a cornucopia of delights! It was like a beautiful Christmas present, wrapped in silver paper and tied with red ribbons! And when the box was opened out popped Alter Ego!
I count myself fortunate to have been there.
The first set kicked off with Roll Call a perfect up tempo opening closely followed by J. J. Johnson's In walked Horace. The New York Jazz Giants' Beatitudes was next; this is a driving Latin jazz tune and featured Dave Hignett playing his socks off on trumpet . The energetic first set included a fine swinging version of Benny Golson’s Blues March. This overrated number can be boring but certainly not in these hands. Solos from Keith Robinson on Alto and Niall Armstrong on tenor were beautifully crafted and the alternate march and swing sections were well handled by Dave Francis on drums. It’s not possible to mention the entire first set but it ended with Bobby Watson's Wheel Within a Wheel written for the Jazz Messengers.
After a short interval the band was even better; perhaps the fact that the club had filled up with an enthusiastic and vociferous audience had something to do with that. The set opened with an outstanding version of Hit and Run and I see that I have just written “wow!” next to it on the set list. Dave Hignett's trumpet playing was reaching for the stars and with great attack and Niall Armstrong’s tenor playing sparkled. In fact the whole band played like they had stuffed fire crackers down their trousers in the whole of the second set. Andy Hawking on piano featured in a lovely version of Monk’s Budini. I thought that he really did the tune justice. Two of Niall Armstrong’s compositions followed, Undertone featuring Niall himself and Dave Hignett on Flugel , and Mustard Marsh which included fine Bass playing by Tony Abell. Nice to hear an electric bass played with great taste; not always the case. The set concluded with a tune in 3/4 Coastal Breeze. Nice drumming throughout and Niall on Flute and the outstanding alto playing of Keith Robinson. Keith was all over the instrument and at times seemed to have an extra hand there was so much great jazz going on. The encore was another great Bobby Watson piece A Bittadose featuring the whole band in great ensemble playing with this shuffle style hit.
This was a great gig, substantially better than the Clark Tracey performance earlier this year. Compared with that it was a tonic. Best gig I’ve been to since Jazz Machine’s gig at Number 28 in August; and I was playing in that!
One last word. The sound throughout was really well balanced and this makes such a difference. Thank you to the Globe and the Band.
Peter N.

4 comments :

Roly said...

This excellent band played a great gig at Blaydon in April.

Lance said...

Must have been quite a gig as I thought the Clark Tracey band were plenty good!

Ken Drew (on f/b) said...

What a great review !! although I wouldn't go so far to say it was 'substantially better than the Clark Tracey performance earlier this year' - maybe they equalled them in many respects - fine musicians playing tremendously well as One, the overall energy and the impact they had on the audience (and vice-versa). But what a great Gig !!!

Ashington Jazz Club said...

Next gig for Alter Ego

8pm Wednesday 7th January @ Ashington Jazz Club

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