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Bebop Spoken There

David Hadju: "It was kind of a lightning bolt [seeing a photo of a hi-fi store that's now occupied by a phone store]. Everyone had hi-fi systems, now everyone has a phone" - (DownBeat May 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!"

Postage

15478 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 15 years ago. 499 of them this year alone and, so far, 120 this month (May 27).

From This Moment On ...

May 2023

Sun 28: Bradley Creswick's Western Swingfonia @ Whitley Bay Carnival. Free. Plaza Arena stage. 12 noon.
Sun 28: MSK @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 12:15pm. Free. Marquee stage. MSK - Steve Glendinning, Katy Trigger, Martin Douglas.
Sun 28: Musicians Unlimited @ The Park Inn, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Back Chat Brass @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 1:30pm. Free. Marquee stage.
Sun 28: More Jam @ The Globe, Newcastle. 2:00pm. Free.
Sun 28: Tim Kliphuis Trio @ St Mary's Church, Wooler NE71 6BZ. 3:00pm. £15.00 standard; £5.00 student/unwaged; free under 18. Afternoon Cocktail, a Wooler Summer Arts' concert promotion. Kliphuis (violin); Nigel Clark (guitar); Roy Percy (double bass).
Sun 28: Back Chat Brass @ Whitley Bay Carnival. 3:00pm. Free. Plaza Arena stage.
Sun 28: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 3:00pm.
Sun 28: King Bees @ The Delaval Arms, Old Hartley NE26 4RL. 5:00pm. Free. Chicago blues at its best!
Sun 28: Matt Anderson Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Anderson (saxophones); Jamil Sheriff (piano); Andy Champion (double bass); Dave Walsh (drums).

Mon 29: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.

Tue 30: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 30: Big Chris Barber Band @ Whitley Bay Playhouse. 7:30pm.

Wed 31: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 31: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 31: 4B @ The Exchange, North Shields. 7:00pm.
Wed 31: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.

June
Thu 01: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 01: Thursday Night Prayer Meeting @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Donations.
Thu 01: Merlin Roxby @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Ragtime piano. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
Thu 01: Jake Leg Jug Band @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Thu 01: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.

Fri 02: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 02: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Fri 02: Joseph Carville Trio @ Saltburn Community Hall. 7:30pm.
Fri 02: Claire Martin & Her Trio @ The Witham, Barnard Castle. 7:30pm. £25.00., £20.00. Feat. Jim Mullen, Alex Garnett & Jeremy Brown.
Fri 02: Guy Davis + Michael Littlefield & Scott Taylor @ Cluny 2, Newcastle. Doors 7:30pm. Blues double bill.
Fri 02: Anders Ingram @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. Blind Pig Blues Club. Country blues. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Sat 03: Newcastle Record Fair @ Northumbria University, Newcastle NE8 8SB. 10:00am-3:00pm. Admission: £2.00.
Sat 03: Pedigree Jazz Band @ St Augustine's Parish Centre, Darlington. 12:30pm.
Sat 03: Play Jazz! workshop @ The Globe, Newcastle. 1:30pm. Tutor: Sue Ferris. £25.00. Enrol at: www.jazz.coop.
Sat 03: Abbie Finn Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 6:00pm. Free.
Sat 03: Rendezvous Jazz @ Red Lion, Earsdon. 8:00pm. £3.00.
Sat 03: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Song Lyrics - Why do we like them?

(By Ann Alex)
If Lance, Blogmaster, allows, this will be the first in an occasional series of appreciation of song lyrics, a subject which I’m particularly interested in.  
Here goes! It seems to me that the song No Moon At All is especially clever, both lyrically and musically.  I first heard this sung delightfully by Claire Kelly (pictured) a few weeks ago at the Globe, and was intrigued by the idea that it is the opposite of the standard ‘moon in June’ songs.  Then a piece of luck - the song turned up in our repertoire on the Blue Jazz Voices jazz singing course.
It’s written by Redd Evans and Dave Mann:
No Moon at All
What a Night
Even lightnin’ bugs have dimmed their light
Stars have disappeared from sight
And there’s no moon at all

Don’t make a sound
It’s so dark
Even Fido is afraid to bark
What a perfect chance to park
And there’s no moon at all

Should we want atmosphere
For inspiration, dear
One kiss will make it clear
That tonight is right and bright moonlight might interfere

No moon at all
Up above
This is nothing like they told us of
Just to think we fell in love
And there’s no moon at all

As soon as you hear the words no moon at all the song gets your attention because it denies what you expect from a love song and you wonder if it will be a sad tale of lost love.  But the jaunty tune leads you to realise that this is highly flirtatious stuff with a lovely light touch and added humour even Fido is afraid to bark. (When we first tackled this song at Blue Jazz, Lindsay’s dog Chaplin was present as an illustration.  And don’t reverse the words as I did, by swopping round ‘bark’ and ‘park’.  Not what the writers intended!)
You’re not allowed to forget the couple’s intentions with the constant repetition of no moon at all.
I consider that the cleverest line in the whole song is This is nothing like they told us of, which has two meanings, referring to both what people traditionally say about falling in love by moonlight, and also what other song writers have written.  The line is a gentle criticism of all the other lyricists, from Cole Porter to Lorenz Hart to goodness knows who else.
Another favourite line for me is tonight is right and bright moonlight might interfere. These words are sung mostly on one note until we come to interfere, which jumps up to higher notes and so literally interferes with the musical sound.  And of course the internal rhymes within the line add to this effect, then interfere has completely different vowel sounds, so both words and music add to the effect.
I could go on more about the many rhymes and repetitions which are obvious, but I’d become a total bore.  Suffice to say that the last two statements are quite defiant, suggesting that they didn’t need the moon to get them to fall in love, so let’s just leave them to it!
Ann Alex.

9 comments :

Lance said...

Brilliant Ann! Keep them coming. The line, "Tonight is right and bright moonlight might interfere." A quintuple rhyme! Now there's a challenge! Anyone know any other quintuplets?

Anonymous said...

Can't think of a quintuplet at the mo. But noticed this unlikely quad "Cold Cape Cod clams" in a rather famous song. Any ideas ? :) Ken

Liz said...

is this one?
Beans could get no keener reception in a Beanery

Lance said...

Clever, as all of Hart's were, but Beanery and Greenery are just a rhyme not a quintuple one (five!)

Lance said...

There is now!

John Hallam (on F/b) said...

Trying to get people to include the verse is like drawing teeth! Yet the verse is often a little gem and puts the chorus in context. From the age of 78 s "with vocal refrain" the verse might be found as an instrumental, the lyrics being found in the songsheet or original show.

However, many bands take the easy way out and only bother with the chorus - for example the potboilers played to the point of boredom : S'wonderful, Bill Bailey, Doctor Jazz, Stardust , even The Sheik.
I have collected many verses the hard way over 40 years using pen and paper but it is much easier now on the net. So "Please" ( another one) put the verse back where it belongs.

Lance said...

I seem to recall, John,some years ago, a well known singer recording the verse of Stardust and dispensing with the chorus completely. Can't remember who though!

Liz said...

it has a lovely verse, I had it played at Denys's funeral if you remember Lance

Ken Drew said...

I see now that my 4 words were just alliteration !!! Simples compared to triples or quintuplets.
BTW the line "Cold Cape Cod clams" is from 'Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)' (Porter). Ken

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