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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.

Sunday, July 05, 2015

CD Review: SNJO w. Makoto Ozone - JEUNEHOMME Mozart's Piano Concerto No 9 K-271

(Review by Lance).
"Jazzing the Classics" has, over the years, become quite commonplace with, it has to be said, varying degrees of success. Nine times out of time my feeling has been; Why didn't they leave well alone? A notable exception was Ellington's take oTchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and another one is this concert recording by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 9 K-271 with Makoto Ozone in the hot seat.
We know that SNJO have a penchant for this sort of thing having heard their version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. That was fine but, given the superior material that they have to work on here, this is several notches above even that sterling effort.
Ist Movement, subtitled Allegro Swing, reveals Ozone to be a pianist more than capable of handling the straight sections. Tommy Smith has an extended workout on tenor followed by some agile bass work by Gourley. Underneath, the pianist comps before breaking out and laying down his jazz credentials for all to hear. Andre Previn and Jacques Loussier are the only others I can think of who covered both idioms so well.
2nd Movement, subtitled Andantino Tango, opens with a Smith tenor cadenza leading into a rich probing exposition of the theme over Ozone's explorative background before the pianist once more takes centre stage - pianists do this in piano concertos. Pattison maintains the melancholy mood on soprano and Ozone returns to gently take us down into the arms of the orchestra.
3rd Movement, subtitled Rondo/ Presto Be-Bop, you know by the subtitle is going to be the swinger - and it is!
One moment Ozone is playing straight then it becomes Monkish and then a sort of ragtime cum stride chorus. Tom Walsh takes it up blowing hard bop trumpet followed by Ozone swinging his butt off throwing in a couple of bars of Honeysuckle Rose! A slower, out of tempo, go at the original - this, maybe, is Mozart playing after hours in the bierkeller. Some shouting trombone from Chris Grieve then Ozone takes it on a Night Train ride. More soprano from Pattison then Cosker builds up his drum solo telling the jazz people the end is nigh bringing the band in at fff telling the classical people it will soon be over but not before Ozone returns to give a few quirky bars of cocktail piano, some more stride before reassuring Mozart that all's well at the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh.
An album that will surely delight open minded jazzers and classicists alike.
SNJO w. Makoto Ozone - JEUNEHOMME Mozart's Piano Concerto No 9 K-271 will be available on Spartacus Records from July 31.
Lance.
Makoto Ozone (pno); Tommy Smith (ten/fl/MD), Konrad Wiszniewski (ten), Ruaridh Pattison (alt/sop), Martin Kershaw (alt/clt), Bill Fleming (bar); Cameron Jay, Tom MacNiven, Tom Walsh, Lorne Cowieson (tpts); Chris Grieve, Phil O'Malley, Michael Owers (tmb) Calum Gourlay (bs), Alyn Cosker (dms).

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