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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

17328 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 612 of them this year alone and, so far, 17 this month (Sept. 5).

From This Moment On ...

September

Tue 10: ???

Wed 11: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
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. A ‘second Wednesday in the month’ jam session.
Wed 11: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 12: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 12: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Brunswick Methodist Church, Newcastle NE1 7BJ. 2:30pm. £4.00. ‘A Great Day in Harlem’.
Thu 12: The Cuban Heels @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Pete Tanton & co.
Thu 12: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesborough. 8:30pm. Free. THC with guests Donna Hewitt, Bill Watson, Dave Archbold, Adrian Beadnell, Mark Hawkins.

Fri 13: Jeff Barnhart & Neville Dickie @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Two pianos, two pianists! SOLD OUT!
Fri 13: Noel Dennis Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 13: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 13: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 13: Dilutey Juice @ Old Coal Yard, Byker, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £11.00. adv..
Fri 13: Ray Stubbs R & B All-stars @ The Forum, Darlington. 7:30pm. Classic blues.

Sat 14: Jeff Barnhart’s Silent Film Fest @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm. Darlington New Orleans Jazz Club.
Sat 14: Customs House Big Band w. Ruth Lambert @ St Paul’s Centre, St Paul’s Gardens, Spennymoor DL16 7LR. 7:00pm (6:45pm doors). Tickets £10.00. from the venue or tel: 01388 813404. A ‘BYOB’ event.
Sat 14: Emma Wilson @ Claypath Deli, Durham. 7:00pm. £12.00. Acoustic blues.
Sat 14: Rat Pack - Swingin’ at the Sands @ Billingham Forum. 7:30pm.

Sun 15: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Jude Murphy, Steve Chambers & Sid White @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 15: Tweed River Jazz Band @ Barrels Ale House, Berwick-upon-Tweed. 7:00pm. Free.
Sun 15: Panharmonia @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 16: Swing Manouche @ Yamaha Music School, Blyth. 1:00pm. £9.00.
Mon 16: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 16: John Hallam with the James Birkett Trio @ The Black Bull, Blaydon. 8:00pm. £10.00. A Blaydon Jazz Club 40th anniversary concert!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Bradley Johnston Quartet @ The Jazz Café. February 13.










Bradley Johnston (guitar), Peter Gilligan (keyboards), Paul Susans (double bass) & Paul Wight (drums)
(Review by Russell/photos courtesy of Mike Tilley.)
Undergraduate guitar student Bradley Johnston stepped-up to the plate to lead his own quartet on a coveted Friday night date at the Jazz Café in Newcastle. If the young man felt nervous ahead of the advertised eight o’clock start it didn’t show. Johnston’s band mates were on the stand ready to go and right on time they hit the ground running with    a bright and breezy take on Wave.
Sonny Rollins’ Doxy cooked. Johnston laid down a great solo (wow!), the boys took it swing-time (Paul Susans’ walking bass line) and no one in the room had any doubts – Bradley Johnston could cut it with the best of them! A piano-guitar intro to Lover Man exuded sensitivity, as did drummer Paul Wight’s brush work. How Insensitive began as a bossa and somewhere along the line went samba and back to a bossa. 
A vigorous My Funny Valentine (‘You count it in, man’ said Wight) had the backing of the boys with Wight’s fizzing stick-work, Peter Gilligan’s superlative supporting piano and Susans’ smiling admiration for Johnston clear for all to see. Guitarist Johnston is a composer; Pat’s Waltz (referencing a major influence – the one and only Pat Metheny) could have been written by a seasoned musician. We are sure to hear more original material. The sixty minutes’ first set concluded with a raucous Moose the Mooche.
Two numbers into the second set, amidst the hottest playing of the night (a Pat Metheny composition), disaster struck as the bridge on Paul Susan’s double bass collapsed. Bull fiddle prostrate, Susans kneeling over it effecting repairs, Wight sat out as Johnston and Gilligan played an impromptu Spring is Here. Fantastic! But wait! Susans appeared to be losing the battle, the de-stringed instrument looked a terminal case. Gilligan joined bass man Susans on the floor, attempting string-to-string resuscitation. What to do? ‘Play solo, Bradley!’ And so he did. Unflustered, Bradley Johnston played But Beautiful. Amazing, say no more.
Susans and instrument stood upright (temporary repairs effected), game on. Stella By Starlight – it couldn’t get any better. Bandleader Johnston introduced his band – Peter Gilligan, Paul Susans and Paul Wight. The boys in the band made sure we knew who we were listening to…‘Bradley Johnston!’ Huge applause and then they took on Coltrane and tore it up!
Dr James Birkett had a gig of his own at the Globe (see Dean Stockdale review). He would have loved this set. Catch Bradley Johnston at a north east gig soon, because if you don’t, then in a year or two you’ll likely as not find him in London or New York.
Russell. 

2 comments :

Unknown said...

First visit to the Jazz Cafe on Friday Feb 13th 2015 and WOW what a treat! We never expected to here Jazz of this standard in the North East, My brother has travelled to London to get his fix of Jazz music for years always returning with the words when you hear real quality Jazz you will be hooked! He is right but no need to travel to London the Jazz Cafe put on a top quality band and we enjoyed every minute of it from a group of quality musicians, great night one to remember , big thanks to the Jazz Cafe and the Band.

Lance said...

Hi Phillip - so pleased you enjoyed the session at the Jazz Cafe - check it out again for the jam session on tuesday. Maybe your brother could bring some hot shots up from London - cool them down! No seriously, there is a good scene going on here in Newcastle and, if you check out our listings you may never watch TV again!

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