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Bebop Spoken There

Kurt Elling: ''There's something to learn from every musician you play with''. (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

17630 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 16 years ago. 904 of them this year alone and, so far, 49 this month (Dec. 20).

From This Moment On ...

December

Fri 20: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 20: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 20: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 1:00-3:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Fri 20: Baghdaddies @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Smokin’ Spitfires @ Platform 1, East Bedlington Community Centre. 7:00pm.
Fri 20: Pete Tanton’s Christmas @ 1719, Hendon, Sunderland. 7:30pm. CANCELLED!
Fri 20: Alligator Gumbo @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm. SOLD OUT!
Fri 20: Abbie Finn’s Finntet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.
Fri 20: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sat 21: Lindsay Hannon Quartet @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £15.00. ‘Swinging with Christmas Songs’.
Sat 21: Jason Isaacs @ Seaburn STACK, Seaburn. 3:30-5:30pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Sat 21: Jackson’s Wharf Xmas Party @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 7:00pm. Free. Featuring the New ’58 Jazz Collective.
Sat 21: Brass Fiesta @ Revoluçion de Cuba, Newcastle. 10:30pm. Free.

Sun 22: Hot Club du Nord @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £15.00. + bf. Xmas party. SOLD OUT!
Sun 22: Red Kites Jazz @ Gibside Chapel, nr. Rowlands Gill. 1:00pm. Admission charge applies.
Sun 22: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.
Sun 22: Ruth Lambert Trio @ The Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 22: Revolutionaires @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. Superb rhythm & blues outfit.
Sun 22: Laurence Harrison, Paul Grainger & Mark Robertson @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. A ‘Jar on the Bar’ gig. Line-up TBC.
Sun 22: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music (musicians TBC).
Sun 22: Ray Stubbs R & B All-Stars @ Zerox, Sandhill, Newcastle. 7:00pm (doors).

Mon 23: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Wheatsheaf, Benton Sq., Whitley Road, Palmersville NE12 9SU. Tel: 0191 266 8137. 1:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Mon 23: Edison Herbert Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 4:00pm. Free.
Mon 23: Jason Isaacs @ St. James’ STACK, Newcastle. 4:00-6:00pm. Free. Vocalist Isaacs working with backing tapes.
Mon 23: Milne-Glendinning Band @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free.

Tue 24: Lindsay Hannon & Mark Williams @ Ernest, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 11:00am-1:00pm. Free.
Tue 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:00pm. Free. Vocalist Skerritt working with backing tapes.

Wed 25: Wot? No jazz!

Thu 26: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free. TBC.
Thu 26: The Boneshakers @ Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 4:00pm. Free. The 17th annual Boneshakers’ Shindig.

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, April 27, 2015

Splinter @ the Bridge present YANA - April 26

Corey Mwamba (vibes); Dave Kane (bass); Johnny Hunter (drums)
(Review by Steve/photos courtesy of Ken Drew)
Sunday nights in Newcastle will never be the same again. After 5 years showcasing the most interesting and stimulating jazz from far and wide, Splinter have had to call it a day. Although supported by a loyal hardcode audience, the overall numbers attending made the project simply unsustainable.
Fittingly, the final gig was a memorable one as Corey Mwamba’s trio Yana played to a packed house. Corey started off proceedings by thanking Zoe and Andy for all their hard unsung work and everybody applauded wholeheartedly in agreement with his sentiments.
The formalities now over, the music was able to commence and a magnificent landscape of sound began to evolve. Each member of the band clearly seemed to be enjoying the experience of playing with one another as they responded quite intuitively to what was going around them. So much so that when a bird chorus started up outside the bay window, Mwamba was able to improvise a tweeted echoed response with a tiny Indian whistle.
I have seen many world class vibes players - Joe Locke, Gary Burton, Bobby Hutchinson, Roy Ayers to name just 4 -but I have never seen anyone use the instrument in such a unique way as Mwamba. He may play with anything between zero (his hands) and 6 mallets and in any combination thereof whilst simultaneously moving around the instrument like a hyperactive gazelle. Occasional primordial screaming and the playing of wooden flutes and pipes further augment the performance. It’s by no means classic vibe playing in the style of the aforementioned maestros but Corey lays down a driving groove full of interest and every so often there was to be a burst of simply beautiful sounds. Hunter and Kane are perfect accomplices and at the end of the evening all 3 musicians appeared to have enjoyed the evening as much as the highly appreciative audience. In fact in a display of affability, the charming trio seemed more than happy to hang around and chat to people after the show.
Finally, I would also like to personally thank Zoe and Andy (seen left with JNE's Paul Bream) for all their hard work in promoting such a wonderful cornucopia of music over the years. I have seen some  absolutely amazing gigs and also some not so brilliant but they have all always been interesting and well worth the nominal admission price. However out of the ashes of the splinters a phoenix may yet arise as Jazz North East hopes to be able to programme Sunday night gigs in the not too distant future - funding permitting. So, sadly, the end of a splendid era! It was most odd saying goodbye to so many people that I had shared so many extraordinary evenings with, but it has to be said “it has been a blast”.  
Steve.

2 comments :

JC said...

An excellent review, Steve. You catch the sweet/sad atmosphere of the last Splinter session very well. And Yana were the perfect group to play the final show as they encapsulated much of the great spirit of these sessions - superb musicians, intuitive interplay between them, lots of creative and exciting improvisation and nice rapport with the audience. Like all good 'wakes' a large crowd of relatives, close friends and distant acquaintances turned up to have a few drinks, celebrate the last five years and say goodbye.
As it can sometimes be a thankless task to turn up every Sunday night to arrange chairs, organise the sound system and take the admission money, as well as being responsible for making the music happen, I would like to echo Steve's note of appreciation for all that Zoe and Andy have done and say thanks for the many terrific nights of jazz. As a singer once sang "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone'. I'm missing Splinter already.
JC

Ken Drew (on F//b) said...

A fitting review by Steve. Had it been written before the gig maybe more would have been attracted to the captivating atmposhphere described therein, and joined us for a crackin gig ?? I would also like to echo Steve's note of appreciation for all that Zoe Champion and Andy Champion have done in broadening our musical horizons, and say thanks for organising the many wonderful and enjoyable nights of jazz at The Bridge Hotel.

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