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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

Monday, March 30, 2015

Jason Isaacs & Zita Frith @ Bonbar March 29.

Jason Isaacs (vcl/ten); Mark Webb, Darren Irwin (tpt); Dave Brock  (tmb); Andy Bennett, Ray Dales (reeds); Stuart Collingwood (pno); Neil Harland (bs); Simon Ferry (dms) + Zita Frith (vcl).
(Review by Lance).
A Jason Isaacs' show isn't just another gig it's an occasion - a happening! The songs and the routines may be familiar but, somehow, he makes you think you're hearing them for the first time, such is the man's charismatic appeal. 
Tramp; Beyond the Sea; Kick in the Head; Minnie the Moocher; That's Life; Leroy Brown and many more made this a ring-a-ding-ding of a show.
A tribute to Francis Albert (Weren't they all?) with You Make me Feel so Young brought Songs For Swinging Lovers to mind, the Nelson Riddle arrangement cleverly orchestrated for the octet - I think piano may have commandeered the flute passage. I say 'may have' as a group at the bar were more intent on hearing their own voices than Jason's meaning some of the nuances were lost for the serious listener.
Send in the Clowns almost tempted me to call out that they were already here. I didn't but, at the conclusion of the beautifully rendered Sondheim classic, Jason did address another noisy group (sitting in the 'posh end' too) saying, "You've been talking for two hours, can you not shut up for three minutes!"
However, these were but minor irritations in an evening that never dragged. Harry Connick Jr's We Are in Love from the film When Harry Met Sally floored me! A tune I knew but hadn't previously paid much attention to - I paid attention to it tonight!
One of the other highlights was a cameo appearance by Zita Frith, formerly of Frith Street, a band doing the rounds a few year's back, who came close to upstaging the great man himself!
Fever â la Peggy and Get Happy â la Judy had the crowd yelling for more which they got in the form of a duet by Jason and Zita on Me and my Shadow.
Zita - who along with friend Peter, Bob Gladwin former singer and head honcho of Beverly Artists, Tom and Kirsten, shared our table - will be singing in the Redwood Bar of the Vermont Hotel* on April 10 which, unfortunately clashes with GIJF.
The following day, April 11, Jason makes a return trip to London's Boisdale. Situated in the Canary Wharf shopping complex, Boisdale is a great venue and the 'canary' with Jason at Canary Wharf is Faye Tozer well worth a trip down - just a shame it had to clash with the jazz festival at Sage Gateshead.
To sum up this evening - convivial company, good food and great music.
Lance.
*More on the Vermont Hotel shortly.

6 comments :

Lance said...

Apologies for initially referring to Zita as Vita - the world, and Dolly the Dog, have brought me to heel on this - next time, the Pedigree Chum's on me! BTW - Now corrected!

Liz said...

just listened to Connick's version as you suggest Lance, a real swinging affair & loved the big band...great number, cannot think how it had slipped into my past memory!

Lance said...

Hope you'll hear Jason's version sometime! It's a great song that should have been covered by every crooner in the land!

Liz said...

correct, but probably a bit daunting as the lyrics are demanding!

Mrs Isaacs said...

Have you also got a dog named Dolly??? What a crazy coincidence... X

Lance said...

No, but I knew you had - I'm a cat person!

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