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Bebop Spoken There

Ambrose Akinmusire: “ I am certainly always aware of what the masses are doing. And when I see too many people going one way, I'm going another way - even when I don't know what's over that way". DownBeat, March, 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

16287 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 169 of them this year alone and, so far, 41 this month (Mar 18).

From This Moment On ...

March

Tue 19: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Michael Young, Paul Grainger, Tim Johnston.

Wed 20: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 20: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 20: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 21: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 21: Castillo Neuvo Trio + Conor Emery & His ‘Bones Band @ The Grove, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:30pm (7:00pm doors). £10.00. (£7.00. student).
Thu 21: Remi Banklyn + Chris Corcoran Trio @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £12.50. Chicago blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Thu 21: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Ragtime piano.
Thu 21: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman’s Club, Middlesbrough. 8:30pm.

Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos & Paul Edis @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT!
Fri 22: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 22: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 22: Nauta + Remy CB + Last Orders @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. 8:30pm (7:30pm doors). Free.
Fri 22: Vasilis Xenopoulos-Paul Edis Quartet @ Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. £15.00. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 22: Redwell @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sat 23: Jambone @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 6:30pm. Free (ticketed). End of term performance in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall.
Sat 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 23: Red Kites Jazz @ Rowlands Gill Community Centre NE39 1JB. 7:00pm. Tickets: £12.00. (gibsidecommunityfarm@gmail.com). A ‘Build a Barn’ fundraiser. BYOB, tea/coffee available.
Sat 23: New Century Ragtime Orchestra @ Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle. 7:30pm. £20.00. + bf (book in person at venue - no booking fee!). Featuring pianist Martin Litton.
Sat 23: Pete Tanton’s Cuba Libre @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig.

Sun 24: Musicians Unlimited @ Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:30pm. Free.
Sun 24: Luis Verde @ Queen’s Hall, Hexham. 3:00pm. Verde (alto sax); Joe Steels (guitar); John Pope (double bass); John Hirst (drums). Alto sax brilliance!
Sun 24: Elsie Franklin @ The Globe, Newcastle. 3:00pm. £10.00. Country blues. An International Guitar Foundation promotion.
Sun 24: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay Metro Station. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 24: Las Vegas Live with the Rat Pack @ The Forum, Billingham.
Sun 24: Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer @ Otterburn Memorial Hall. 7:30pm. £12.00.
Sun 24: Lindsay Hannon: Tom Waits for No Man @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Note start time - 7:00pm.
Sun 24: Bold Big Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 25: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 25: Michael Young Trio @ The Engine Room, Sunderland. 6:30pm. Free.

Monday, April 20, 2015

A New Band Hits Town! The Gala Theatre Big Band Gala - Theatre, Durham April 19.

(Review by Jerry)
The availability of bottled Double Maxim (my preferred match-day tipple) made this feel like a visit to the Stadium of Light – but without the pain! Here there were only winners: Durham City with a new big band; Paul Edis, the band-leader; the band as a whole who gave such an excellent debut concert; the many soloists who bravely conquered first-night nerves and, above all, the audience (150-200, I guess) who lapped it up from start (Miller’s In the Mood) to finish (Basie’s One o’Clock Jump)! And there were some brilliant hats and waistcoats too!

Miller was followed by Edis – a blues self-mockingly (and erroneously) entitled Diminishing Returns. The blues were then immediately banished by Sammy Nestico’s foot-stomping arrangement of Sweet Georgia Brown, the musicians visibly relaxing now and enjoying great ensemble playing. Five brave “volunteers” then joined Edis at the front of the stage to perform two funky / bluesy numbers: Hancock’s Watermelon Man and Nat Adderley’s Work Song. Great stuff!
            Next up was another Edis original, the slow, muted, elegiac Too Sad for Words. And then, Dur-ham, Dur-ham, Dur-ham Dur-ham, Dur-ham…(why not?) Mancini’s Pink Panther got us back in the swing before the first set closed with another Nestico arrangement: All of Me. Time for another bottle of Houghton-le-Spring’s finest…..
            A train whistle (I kid you not!) from behind the closed red curtains announced the start of the second set and we were all whisked away on Strayhorn’s A Train. Those of you who have the recent CD of the same name would have recognised Mr Hipster which lent itself well to a big band treatment and provided an interesting comparison with the earlier Henry Mancini piece. This Edis original more than holds its own!
            My wife’s favourite Basie piece, Li’l Darlin, followed smoothly on from there. I hadn’t realised (jazznoramus) that this was actually composed by Neal Hefti, a name new to me and soon to be heard again as the band-leader introduced their penultimate number, Splanky. This really was a full-throttle (or “regulator” if we were still on that train!) sound from a very big band and it left the audience shouting for more. Which they got, in the shape of the aforementioned One o’Clock Jump.
            “When’s the next one?” was a question I heard from several exiting musicians. This was their first full concert in public: I too hope, like long awaited buses (or trains?), another will come along very soon. They were stars, every one!
Jerry.
Band-leader – Paul Edis
Trumpets -Dave Skipsey, Lis Hammond, Tom Rillands, Anthony Darwin, Edd Maughan
Trombones- Darcy Whyatt, Ian Cargill, Andrew Hedges, Thomas Hunter, Chris Gallon
Saxes- (Altos) Neil Owen, Beth Pollard, Francesca Sensier, Judith Wood-Archer
(Tenors) Peter Little, John Bowman, Rebecca Devine, Steve Williams
(Baritones) Katherine Humpleby, Alan Smith, Lindsay Smith
Flute - Kirstin Unwin Clarinet - Victoria Bainbridge
Guitar - Francis Tulip Piano - George Hetherington Bass - Richard Bower/Owen Jones
Drums - Alex Kennedy


1 comment :

Unknown said...

Thanks for all your comments! We certainly did. Hope you enjoyed our first outing everyone! Ian Cargill ( Trombone)

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