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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

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.
Mar 26: Pop Jazz @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. 'Jazzified' tunes by the likes of Sylvester, Bowie, the Monkees etc., feat. Alan Law, David Gray, Richard Herdman & Jude Murphy.
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.

Fri 31: Lewis Watson Quartet @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 31: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 31: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 31: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm. CANCELLED! Back next week (April 7).
Fri 31: Jasmine Myra + Waclaw Zimpel @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Fri 31: The Revolutionaires @ The Shack, Boldon Colliery. 7:30pm. £10.00. The Revolutionaires' big band (horn section) line-up.
Fri 31: Andrew McCormack @ Maltings, Berwick. 8:00pm. £20.00.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Zoe Rahman @ Newcastle University - Feb. 12













Zoe Rahman (piano).
(Review by Lance/photos courtesy of Ken Drew).
What more can be said about Ms. Rahman that hasn't been said already? Perhaps JNE supremo Paul Bream hit the nail on the head when, with the help of Mr. Shakespeare, he referred to her "infinite variety". Age certainly hadn't withered nor custom staled that quality tonight.
A beautiful mix of the familiar and the original delicately (and sometimes not so delicately) interwoven - the Sound of Surprise never far away.
Although  most seats in the Recital Room were occupied by the 50/60 devotees present, rapt attention was accorded this virtuoso, the applause warm and prolonged.   In between pieces Ms. Rahman addressed us in a delightful, soft textured voice that, unfortunately, wasn't always audible even to those of us sitting in the front row so I'm unable to put titles to her compositions.
The opener was almost classical in its execution full of bravura flourishes that somehow segued into These Foolish Things. An exquisite rendition of Jack Strachey's classic that avoided the maudlin sentimentality of the original without losing  the emotive content. If the concert had ended there and then I'd have felt I'd got my money's worth! It didn't, one minute a piano was tinkling in the next apartment the next we were on a 21st century honky tonk train ride with a rolling stock rhythm propelled by her left hand.
The concert was part of JNE's "Women Make Music" series so it was only fitting that compositions by Jessica Williams - a one time JNE regular - and Joanne Brackeen formed part of the program. Monk had his say with Ruby My Dear and Duke (or was it Strayhorn?) chipped in with Petal of a Rose but, for me, the selection of melodies from her Bengali background were the trump cards in a pack that held only aces!
The 27 bus beckoned so I had to miss the encore but the few bars that I did hear sounded good.
Lance.

1 comment :

EmmaFiskJazzVio said...

I loved what I heard last night - what a great variety of piano styles and sounds! Lizzie was too tired to stay for the second half but she did enjoy the first set and was particularly taken with the two hands and elbow piano technique!
Emma and Lizzie x

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