Total Pageviews

Bebop Spoken There

Billy Boy Arnold: “As long as you don't think old you're good.” - DownBeat, December, 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!"

Simon Spillett: A lovely review from the dean of jazz bloggers, Lance Liddle...

Postage

16051 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 1058 of them this year alone and, so far, 12 this month (Dec. 6).

From This Moment On ...

December

Fri 08: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 08: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 08: Giles Strong Quartet @ The Old Library, Auckland Castle. 1:00pm. £7.00.
Fri 08: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Woodland Village Hall, Bishop Auckland. 7:00pm. £12.00.
Fri 08: Sleep Suppressor + Redwell @ Head of Steam, Neville St., Newcastle. 8:00pm. £10.00. (£8.00. adv); £5.00. student.
Fri 08: Hot Club du Nord @ St Cuthbert's Church, Shadforth, Co. Durham.
Fri 08: Têtes de Pois + Nauta @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.00., £8.00.

Sat 09: Prudhoe Community Band @ Central Station, Newcastle. 10:00am - 12 noon. Charity fundraiser.
Sat 09: Durham Alumni Big Band @ Number One Bar, Skinnergate, Darlington. 1:00pm.
Sat 09: Castillo Nuevo Trio @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 5:30pm. Free.
Sat 09: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Middleton & Todridge Village Hall, Morpeth. 7:30pm. £12.00., £6.00.
Sat 09: Paul Skerritt @ Slaley Hall, Hexham NE47 0BX. 7:30pm. From £42.00.

Sun 10: Musicians Unlimited’s Xmas Party with Zoë Gilby Quartet @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. MU 1:00-3:00pm; Zoë Gilby Quartet 4:00-6:00pm. Tickets: £7.50.
Sun 10: Alan Law, Paul Grainger & Abbie Finn @ Darlington Market, Market Square, Darlington. 1:00pm. Free. A ‘Christmas Market’ outdoor gig. Wrap up warm!
Sun 10: Am Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00-4:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Funk Soul Sista @ Stack, Seaburn. 5:00-7:00pm. Free.
Sun 10: Beth Clarke @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Sun 10: Hayley's Little Big Band @ Whittingham Memorial Institute, Alnwick. 7:30pm. £12.00., £10.00.
Sun 10: Tele-Port @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Line-up inc. Zhenya Strigalev.

Mon 11: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 11: Interim Final Recitals @ Newcastle University. Details TBC.

Tue 12: Stu Collingwood Organ Trio @ Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 7:00pm. £10.00.

Wed 13: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 13: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 13: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.
Wed 13: Bold Big Band @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
Wed 13: Giles Strong Quartet @ Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

Thu 14: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Hot Fingers @ The Lubetkin Theatre, Peterlee. 7:00pm. £10.00.
Thu 14: After Hours Student Jazz Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. . Free. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.
Thu 14: Niffi Osiyemi Trio @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Mo Scott ‘Little Mo’s Festive Appearance’ @ The Schooner, Gateshead. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 14: Tees Hot Club w. Kevin Eland, Josh Bentham, Garry Hadfield, Adrian Beadnell @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Saturday, March 07, 2015

Great North Big Band Jazz Festival (Day 1) @ North Shore, Sunderland. March 6

Paul Jones-Mick Donnelly Quintet: Paul Jones (alto saxophone), Sue Ferris (tenor saxophone & flute), Stuart Collingwood (keyboards), Anth Ord (bass) & Adrian Tilbrook (drums)
(Review by Russell)
The twelfth annual Great North Big Band Jazz Festival opened with the Paul Jones-Mick Donnelly Quintet. The line-up wasn’t quite as anticipated. Mick Donnelly (tenor) begged leave of absence to give his services to a high profile charity event, thus a last minute dep was sought. Sue Ferris – damsel to the rescue – stepped into the breach. The band’s bass player – Neil Harland – was unavailable, so, one of the new generation of north east jazz musicians got the job, Mr Anth Ord. Not quite a scratch band, how would they fare?

The quintet’s audience included the Festival Big Band (an ensemble comprising some of the north east’s finest young musicians) and first time visitors to Sunderland, Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Swing Band. The first number set the pace, then some. Herbie Hancock’s Driftin’  heard Paul Jones’ alto, then, wow-wee!, Sue Ferris’ tenor solo blew the roof off Sunderland University Students’ Union! Truly great tenor playing. American star names – past or present – would have been left trailing. Sandu followed. We weren’t aware that Ferris had merely been warming up; more absolutely killing tenor saxophone! Peri’s-Scope – guess what? Ferris did it again! Mick who?
Stevie Wonder, The Song is You, a Sonny Rollins’ calypso… pianist Stuart Collingwood threw in a couple of solos, Jones again, Anth Ord (on the money all night) did a grand job and Adrian Tilbrook (drums) was in fine form throughout.
The Festival Big Band performed material developed over several months in workshops led by Bill Watson. Catch As Catch Can, The Londonderry Air and Blue Skies. A varied programme showcasing, in particular, a nine-strong saxophone section, deservedly won applause. Bill Bailey featured a sixty four bar reeds intro. Watson appeared satisfied, the audience liked it. Pianist Alice Buhaenko premiered a her composition – The Festival Overture – with, in parts, a Spanish feel to it. Trombonist Hugh Morris is an arranger – composer and arranger are definitely ones to watch out for.
Festival guests Altrincham Grammar School for Boys Swing Band closed the first night of this year’s Great North Big Band Jazz Festival. The boys are making a weekend of it; participating in a Saturday morning workshop and on Sunday they will be taking part in the schools’ section of the competition. This Friday evening short set introduced a band well-schooled by MD Colin Myers. Adrien Re, Sammy Nestico and Pharrell Williams – three markedly different composers – put the spotlight on the band’s sections. Trumpets (all six of them) impressed and Sam Myers stood up for the trombones. Happy, Williams’ tune of the year (was it 2013? 2014?), concluded a polished performance. The boys are sure to enjoy the weekend – win, lose or draw. Note: Mick Donnelly will be back (in tandem with Paul Jones) on Saturday and Sunday to act as competition adjudicator. Russell.

No comments :

Blog Archive